A Summer to Remember
by Janelle Malfoy
Summary: It's summer, Hermione Granger has just gotten back from Hogwarts, and was falling back into her muggle ways. What happens when she sees someone she didn't think she would have to deal with for the rest of the summer? First fic, please read and review!
1. Chapter 1: Coming Home

_**A Summer to Remember**_

**Summary:**  
>It's summer. Hermione Granger has just gotten back from Hogwarts, and was falling back into her muggle ways. What happens when she goes to her youth group one night, and sees someone she didn't think she would have to deal with for the rest of the summer? Scheming parents and match-making friends are included in this story, so much excitement to come! (=<p>

**Time-Line:** After their 6th year, summer before their 7th. They would be 16 or just 17.  
>AU, pretty much disregarding everything after book 4, except Cedric never died and Voldemort is still gone. No war, everything is pretty much totally calm.

**A/N:**  
>Hey everyone! This is my first ever fanfiction, and I am really excited about it! (: Let me know what you all think, I'd love to get a bunch of reviews! This first chapter was originally going to be two different chapters, but I decided to put them together as one. : D I have already started the new chapter two, so hopefully it'll be up soon! It should get much more exciting than this chapter in a while. Please review, and I hope you enjoy reading it! (=<p>

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><p><strong>Chapter One: Coming Home<strong>

**Word Count: 2692**

It was summer. Hermione Granger had just gotten home from her sixth year of Hogwarts a week ago, and she was loving living as a muggle again. Now, don't get me wrong, she loved being a witch at Hogwarts. It was just that sometimes it was nice to not worry about bloodlines, and being nagged about being a muggle born. One down thing was that she always missed Harry and Ron dreadfully. It was now a Thursday, and Thursdays during the summer meant youth group. She hadn't gone last week because she had just gotten home and was settling in, but this week she was excited to be going again. Being around a bunch of muggles made her feel...normal. And being normal was an amazing feeling.

Hermione checked to make sure that what she was wearing was appropriate for the occasion, and realized she should change into a pair of jeans. She did so, also changing her shirt into a thin long-sleeved shirt that was a pretty light blue. She then packed up her bag, putting in her itouch and a few books (you could never be sure when you might need a book...), put her wand in her pocket, and headed out to the car her parents had gotten her for her sixteenth birthday.

"Bye mum, bye dad!" she called as she shut the door behind her. The car was a small, red, Volkswagen. Hermione loved her car. It was totally muggle; didn't have an inch of magic in or about it. She hopped in behind the drivers seat, pulling out her keys and sticking them in the ignition. She put it in reverse, backed out of the driveway, and then drove away. Hermione had gotten her drivers license just recently, and was always still glad when she could pull out of the driveway on her own.

The church that her youth group was at was about a 15 minute drive from her house, so it didn't take long to arrive. It was a church of a nice size, not huge but also not small. It was brown brick, making it plain, but it was still beautiful. There were multiple gardens surrounding the entire building, ones that she had helped plant herself. She parked in the big lot that encircled two sides of the church, and just sat there for a minute. She looked through her bag, making sure everything was there, then made sure her wand wasn't visible.

Hermione climbed out of her car and headed over to the door. About five cars were scattered around the lot, which meant most people were already here. She glanced at her watch and saw she was about ten minutes late. She pulled open the door, entering, but in the process she accidentally dropped her bag, making her stuff spill out.

"Ah, dang it..." she muttered, crouching down to pick up her stuff. As she was stuffing a book back into her bag, she heard a very familiar squeal.

"HERMIONE!" Her friend, Alyssa (Or Aly), called out to her. Looking up, Hermione saw her best friend since childhood running over to her. She grinned and stood up, opening her arms and giving Aly a hug.

"You are finally back! It seemed like you were gone for forever!" she gushed, referring to her time at Hogwarts. Aly was her only friend that knew about Hermione being a witch. Everyone else thought that she went to a boarding school over the winter.

"Yeah, I know. It's good to be back." she replied. They hooked arms and started walking down the small hall that led to the lobby area.

"You will _never_ guess what happened last week. This new guy started coming, and he is totally hot! This week he brought a friend who isn't so bad looking either." Aly said suggestively, wiggling her eyebrows at Hermione. She elbowed her in the side, scowling playfully.

"You know that I'm not interested, Aly. Cut it with the boys." she replied. Aly poured but let it go. As they made it to the lobby and went through the doorway that went directly to the gym, she continued to ask Hermione questions about her sixth year.

"So, how was it? Any more exciting adventures with Harry and Ron?" she asked, always interested in the boys. Hermione shook her head, letting Aly know that even if there was she couldn't tell her. As they entered the gym, Hermione said a hello to multiple people, including Mr. Kunkel, the youth leader. After a few minutes of standing and talking while they waited for the sport that they were playing to start (the volleyball net was up, which Hermione was very happy about), Aly squeezed her arm and whispered while pointing behind Hermione.

"Look, there they are! The two new guys!" Hermione looked over her shoulder, to where her friend was pointing. She saw a flash of pale blond hair that was eerily familiar before Mr. Kunkel called for their attention.

"I'll take a look when I can later," she whispered back to Aly. Mr. Kunkel was picking team captains, and it looked as if he was pointing at her. She walked up towards where Mr. Kunkel was standing, while he continued to talk.

"Today we have a new person with us. Introduce yourself, please." he said.

"Draco Malfoy." said a stuck up, very familiar voice right as Hermione turned around. When she made the full turn and stopped, her eyes immediately collided with a pair of steely gray ones.

Crap.

Hermiones eyes bugged out of her head as she realized who this new person Aly had been talking about was. Standing next to him was none other than Blaise Zabini, who must have been the one Aly had her eye on. What were they doing here? With a bunch of muggles!

"Okay then, Draco, you can be the other team captain." Mr. Kunkel said, bringing Hermione out of her thoughts and into reality. Hermione looked away from him then as he began to walk over to stand next to her.

"Something wrong, Granger?" he asked with a sneer.

"Oh, shut up Malfoy." she said back rudely. She then proceeded to cross her arms across her chest and turn herself on a slant so that she was facing everyone else more than him. After they decided who would pick first (he won that, the lucky little ferret), the two separate teams went to their side of the net. The team captains always served first, so both Malfoy and her went to the far right corners of their sides. Since Malfoy had picked first, Hermione got first serve. Hopefully she wouldn't make a fool of herself, especially in front of the two Slytherins.

When she hit it, the volleyball went flying over the net, going very fast. It landed in between Malfoy and the person standing next to him, which happened to be Zabini. They both flinched slightly when it happened, and Hermione grinned. Malfoy shot her a icy glare, while Zabini just snickered at their exchange like they were toddlers. The ball was passed back to her, and the game continued.

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After the game had finished, the winning team was gloating. And it wasn't Hermione's team. Turns out both Malfoy and Zabini had mad serving skills, as well as playing skills. She figured it was from Quidditch. Oh well, she would get them both later if they played four square...

"Beaten at your own game, eh Granger?" that annoying voice filled her head again. She turned to look at Malfoy as they were both walking towards the annex, where they had lessons. Alyssa was on her right, Malfoy on her left and Zabini to his left.

"Shut it, ferret. Just wait until after lesson; I'll beat you so bad in four square you'll be crying for your mum. What the heck are you doing here, anyway, with a bunch of muggles?" Hermione replied to him, keeping her face forward so as not to look at his disgustingly pale face, hair and eyes. She looked to her right at Alyssa, pointed at the two wizards on her left and said,

"They are from Hogwarts, Aly. Slytherin. The pale-headed ferret is Malfoy, the one I've told you about." Aly's eyes widened and her mouth shaped into a perfect 'o' of awe. She peeked around Hermione's shoulder at Malfoy and Zabini, the former of which was glaring at the back of Hermione's head.

"Hi!" she squeaked. "I'm Alyssa, but everyone calls me Aly. I agree with Hermione, why are you here? I thought she said you believed all that pureblood junk and-" Aly cut off abruptly at the glare from Hermione, smiling at he in apology.

"Pleasure. And it's good to know you talk about me, Granger. I always knew you fancied me. And I seriously doubt that you will be able to beat me at anything, considering you _are_ a mudblood. And as to why I am here, Blaise dragged me along because I lost a...a bet, I suppose you could call it. But seeing as how nice it is to be able to beat you in sport, Granger, I think I just might keep on coming." Malfoy said, a triumphant smirk on his face. Hermione scowled, but kept facing forward. She dearly hoped he wasn't serious, because if he was this would be one heck of a terrible summer.

They arrived at the annex then, Hermione and Aly going to one side of the table, and Malfoy and Zabini going to the other. As they sat down, Aly started whispering to Hermione before Mr. Kunkel was there.

"Holy crap, Hermione, you never told me that Slytherins were _hot_! What is wrong with you? That Blaise is...is... I don't know, but he is!" Hermione shook her head at her friends antics. She was far to much into boys for her own good.

"Believe me, Aly, the lot of them are total buttheads. I don't know much about Zabini, since he is usually the quiet type, but he's a Slytherin and there is reason for that. Just take my advice, and stay away...or, at least make sure Zabini isn't a total jerk like Malfoy." Hermione finished saying that right as Mr. Kunkel called for everyone to be quiet. Aly nodded enthusiastically, unable to reply. Hermione chanced a glance over at ferret and his side-kick and found that he was staring directly at her. She glared at him and turned her attention to Mr. Kunkel. She could still feel his stare on her, though, as if it were burning holes in the back of her bushy brown hair. At least she could hide behind the mess. Hermione sighed and shook her head. This was going to be the longest lesson she'd ever have to sit through.

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**One and a half hours later...**

When Mr. Kunkel dismissed everyone, both Hermione and Aly rocketed out of their chairs and started running out. They always did this, it was almost like a tradition. They both ran their hardest to get to the equipment room first, therefore getting the four square ball and getting to be in the king square.

"You do realize, of course, that you'll not beat me like always?" Hermione huffed to Aly, as she was only a little behind.

"Well...there's...a...first time...for everything!" she huffed back, more winded than Hermione. They both made it to the room at about the same time, but Hermione made it through the door and grabbed the ball first. She grinned while Aly pouted, still out of breath. Then they both linked arms and walked back out into the lobby where someone had already taped the ground.

By the time they reached there, everyone had come out of the annex, including Malfoy and Zabini. They were both staring at her and Aly as they came in. Or, more accurately in Malfoy's case, glaring. Hermione considered saying 'Whats the matter ferret face?' or something equally as rude, but decided against it. She wouldn't talk to him unless absolutely necessary.

Hermione stood in the king square, while Aly stood in the third square. Two other four square players filled up the other two squares while the others made a line behind the first square. Malfoy and Zabini obviously either knew what they were doing, or just figured that they should get in line too, because that's what they did. Then the game began. Hermione grinned; she just knew she would cream them both in this. It was, after all, her game.

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Hermione was sweating. A lot more than she would care to admit. For their first few times, both Slytherins were a little sloppy. Once they got used to it, though, they were both very, very good. They had given her a run for her money, that was for sure. She had ended up staying in the king square until Aly, the little traitor, had knocked her out. Oh well, at least neither Malfoy or Zabini had done it. After a few more rounds and it was 9:45 P.M., Hermione decided she should probably head home. She gave over her place in the squares to Aly, hugged her goodbye, grabbed her bag and headed for the door, not looking at Malfoy or Zabini once. She opened it, and started walking to her car.

"Hey! Granger!" a voice sounded from behind her, and she sighed knowing already who it was. She stopped where she was, a few cars away from her own.

"Yes, Malfoy?" she asked, not bothering to even turn around.

"Well, I just didn't think you should leave without saying goodbye, mudblood." he said snidely. Hermione knew very well that he didn't follow her just to say goodbye, but she wasn't about to say anything.

"See you 'round, ferret." she said while continuing to walk. She made it to her car and was about to get in when he spoke again.

"So, what do mudbloods do over their summer?" Hermione heaved a deep sigh while sitting in her car, letting her head fall onto the wheel. She looked up, seeing that he was now standing in the door, and looked him right in the eye.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" He faked a shocked look, and responded,

"Why, nothing Granger, nothing! Just thought I'd make conversation." Hermione squinted her eyes at him, then shook her head.

"Whatever, Malfoy. I have to get home. My parents are leaving tomorrow morning for a conference for work and I need to help them get ready. Aly is coming to stay with me, so I also have to prepare the guest room, and..." she trailed off, realizing she was rattling her plans off to Malfoy. She scowled and started to pull her car door shut, not caring if he was in the way or not. He moved out of the way, letting her shut it. She started the car and started to head out, looking at him one last time as she was leaving to see a smirk on his face.

**Meanwhile...**

After Hermione had left and Malfoy had followed her, Aly went up to Blaise.

"Hi! I'm Alyssa, as I said before. You can call me Aly, though. Um...I guess you know Hermione, then? We've been total best friends for, like, forever. We do everything together! She has told me all about you guys and your school and stuff, and I think it is so cool! OH!" she covered her mouth with a hand as she realized she was rambling. Blaise grinned, and she turned bright red.

"I'm sorry, I was rambling. Hermione used to use duck tape on my mouth when we were younger. Anyways, I'm staying at Hermione's for the week while her parents are gone, so do you think maybe we could do something? I'll drag 'Mione along, and you could bring someone, too. Maybe Malfoy." she shrugged.

Blaise seemed to think for a few minutes, and then had a mischievous look upon his face.

"Sure, what were you thinking about?"

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><p><strong>(Please review!)<strong>


	2. Chapter 2: A Day at the Pool

**A/N:**  
>Thanks for the lovely reviews for the first chapter, and all the subscribing! =D I nearly exploded from excitement. I hope none of my chapters disappoint, but let me know if they do! Criticism is good!<p>

This chapter is a little shorter than last, but not by much. I really need to try and make these longer...

Everyone, I have a question for you! Should I get a beta? Does anyone think I need one, or is my spelling an grammar okay? Either say in the reviews or PM me, thanks!  
>I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please review!<p>

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><p><strong>Chapter Two: A Day at the Pool<strong>

**Word Count:** 2,109

_**MALFOY IN AZKABAN!**_  
><strong>Yesterday afternoon, Lucius Malfoy was sent to Azkaban for the use of an Unforgivable curse on a muggle-born wizard. We currently can not let this wizards name out, but he was severely injured and may yet die. His wife, Narcissa Malfoy, admitted to having known about her husbands activities, and is, for now, under house arrest. Their son, Draco Malfoy, was oblivious to the entire thing and is therefore innocent of any wrong doings. The Malfoys are a very esteemed family, and this could cause...<strong>

Draco Malfoy slammed the Daily Prophet down onto the table in the Malfoy Mannor's dining room. He scowled as he took a drink of coffee, wishing they would have just not printed that article at all. His father had done some lowly things in his life, but this had to be one of the worst. Especially because he was caught and exposed. Draco shook his head and looked to the left at his mother, Narcissa. She was a very elegant lady, even at her age. Nowadays, she got rather bored without being able to shop.

"Draco, honey, where were you last night?" his mother asked while spooning some oatmeal into her mouth.

"I went to a muggle youth group with Blaise because I lost a bet." he told her distractedly. "The mudblood Granger was there, too. I was rather shocked, actually." he looked up to see his mothers face light up at that. He cocked an eyebrow at her, waiting for what was bound to come out of her mouth.

"Draco, dear, this is wonderful! If you are seen with a muggle-born, it could clear up your name and maybe mine from being prejudice to them! Darling, you must spend as much time around her as possible. This could be my...I mean our chance for a clear name!" she said while standing up and gesturing wildly with her arms. Draco looked at her is disbelief. The lady must have knocked her head.

"Are you crazy, mother? I am not hanging around with...with Granger for the whole summer! This is Hermione Granger we are talking about here, for Merlins sake!" he told her, standing up also. His mother glared at him, and started to talk in a calm yet deadly voice.

"Draco, _dear_, I want you to spend your summer with Miss Granger as much as possible. Wouldn't you do it for me? You know how dreadfully boring it gets around here. Please, Draco." He sighed and closed his eyes, taking calming breathes. She hit his weak spot, knowing that he would do almost anything for her.

"Very well, mother. I'll...spend some time with Granger. Maybe I can drag Blaise along, he seemed pretty interested in her friend..."

"Oh, Draco, you are the best! Just be sure to let the wizarding world know of it, wouldn't work well if they didn't know." His mother was beaming with excitement. Draco shook his head and sighed, moving around his chair and walking toward the main living room.

"I'm going to go floo Blaise, see if he can help."

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"You want me to do what?" said a disbelieving Hermione to Aly after her parents had left.

"I want you to go with me on a...um...outing! I met this really awesome guy the other day, and we planned an outing! I said I'd bring a friend, so he is too! Come on, 'Mione! You've gotta!" Aly squealed while pulling Hermione up the stairs of the house to her room.

"Okay, so let me get this straight... You and me are meeting some guys at...at a pool? Seriously? As in...I'll have to wear a bathing suit?" Hermione asked her friend as she sat on her bed.

"Yep, that is exactly right! And we should probably leave soon, if we are to meet them on time. We were supposed to meet at 10, so come on!" Aly confirmed as she ran out of Hermione's room into the guest room where she was staying. Hermione sighed and got up from her bed to look for a bathing suit. Too bad she only owned bikinis.

Hermione went through all of her suits, looking for one that was actually nice looking on her...and found the perfect one. It was a pale pink one that matched her skin tone perfectly. Her mother had bought it for her for her sixteenth birthday, and she had only been able to wear it once or twice.

Picking it out from the chest it was in, Hermione walked over and shut her bedroom door to get changed. This would probably be a very long day...

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"Wait a minute, you already set up a outing with her and her friend? You are brilliant, Blaise!" Draco exclaimed as he flopped down onto the couch in Blaise's room. "That makes it so much easier for me."

"I know I am." he replied with a grin. "We better get going, though, if we're to be at the pool in time. Can't apparate, floo, or fly so we'll have to rent a muggle car or something. Go back to your house and grab a swim suit and we'll head out." Draco nodded, got up from the couch and walked out the door and through the house to their floo, going back to Malfoy manner. He really hoped that his mother would change his mind about spending the whole summer with Granger, because if she didn't this would be one heck of a summer.

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Hermione and Aly made it to the pool before the two guys did (whoever they were), so they went and grabbed up a place with four sun chairs, saving two for the guys.

"So, are you even going to tell me what they look like? Where you met them? If I am going to be glad I'm spending the rest of this day with them?" she asked Aly after they had sat in silence for a while. She had sat up from her reclined position on the chair, now sitting on it side-ways facing Aly. The sun was out and shining; it was a beautiful day.

"Well, I can tell you that we are both very good looking, you know where she met Blaise, and that today will probably be one of the best days of your life." said a voice that she hadn't been expecting to hear until next week. Hermione immediately went stiff, shot a death glare at Aly, and looked over her shoulder.

"I would say that you are delusional, Malfoy, if you expect me to have even an okay time in your presence." Hermione said to him as she shifted on the seat again so that she was in her original position, reclined against the back of the chair. Malfoy and Zabini were standing there, next to her chair both with their bathing trunks on. Malfoy's were green with silver accents (big surprise), while Zabini's were blue. They both had white shirts on, which Hermione was thankful for. She couldn't believe Aly had done this...and now she was expected to go swimming, in a bikini no less, with Malfoy! And Zabini! This would be the worst day ever.

Malfoy just smirked while Zabini grinned. Zabini then walked around hers and Aly's chairs, going to the empty one on Aly's right. Too late, Hermione realized that the other empty one was to her left where Malfoy was now sitting down.

"Don't sit! We are here to swim, not laze around!" Aly nearly screamed at them with a high pitch voice. She hopped up out of her chair, and pulled off the tank top that she had wore over her bikini. Zabini stood up, too, pulling off his shirt. Aly then slipped out of her shorts, layer all her discarded clothes on her chair, and ran towards the deep end of the pool. When she got to the edge, she kept on running, doing a cannonball into the pool. Zabini followed her more slowly, taking his time and sitting at the edge and sinking in. When Aly came to the surface and glanced Hermione's way, she shouted out to her.

"Aly, you traitor! You weren't supposed to leave me with him!" Hermione nearly burst when Aly started laughing, along with Malfoy and Zabini. She scowled, standing up and stripping off her tank top. She wasn't about to let Malfoy ruin her day at the pool. She shimmied out of her shorts, not even glancing at Malfoy as she did. When she'd finished stripping down and putting all her stuff on the chair, she chanced a glance at Malfoy. He was standing beside his chair with no shirt on, staring at her.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer, ferret." she said glaring at him. He smirked, and turned to walk to the pool.

"Maybe I would if I had a camera." he said over his shoulder. Hermione wasn't about to let him have the last word, so she started jogging towards the pool.

"Pervert!" she said over her shoulder, right before diving into the pool. The shock of the water was refreshing, and it felt amazing. At least there was one good thing about coming here. When she surfaced, she shook the hair out of her face and looked over to the edge where Malfoy was slipping into the pool. Hermione then looked around to see Zabini and Aly doing some kind of racing game across the pool, efficiently almost drowning a few kids in the process. When she looked back to the deep end, she didn't spot Malfoy. Good. Maybe he drowned or something. That would be another good thing about today.

Hermione started swimming slowly towards the edge of the deep side in the pool, but was stopped when she felt something grab her ankle. That something (or someone) then started to tug down, effectively pulling her under. She let out a short scream before she was pulled under, and then started kicking at whoever had her leg. When they let go, she immediately swam to the surface, taking in deep gulps of air. Hermione then turned around, only to see Malfoy surface behind her. He was grinning deviously.

"Ah, did I scare you, Granger? Mudblood afraid of a little water, eh?" He then taunted her. Hermione felt her mouth drop open, and then she started stuttering.

"I...you...how dare you...oh, just leave me alone, Malfoy!" She turned around and swam to the edge of the pool, heaving herself out. She grabbed a towline off of the rack and continued walking until she reached her chair. Once she had dried herself off, she grabbed a book from the bag she had brought, and began to read. When she looked up she saw Malfoy, Zabini, and Aly all laughing together.

This would be one long day, if not week, if not month, if not summer.

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While Hermione had read and the rest of them swam, a few hours went by. When it was a little past noon, all three of the swimmers got out of the pool, grabbed towels, and came back to sit down. Hermione kept reading her book as if they weren't there. She knew it was a bit childish, but she really was not in the mood.

"'Mione, we're all hungry. How about you? I figured we could go back to your house and grab something to eat, and, ya know, just hang out? Wouldn't that be fun? They could follow us...oh, wait, did you guys bring a car? Hermione said you can't apparate around muggles, so you must have..." As Aly continued to ramble, Hermione closed her book with a sigh.

"I guess they could come over for a bit..." she gave in, glaring at her best friend to let her know that she wasn't happy. Aly ignored it.

"Yay, thanks 'Mione!" she said, clapping her hands like she was a toddler about to get candy. Hermione shook her head, again reminded of how child-like and innocent her friend still was. She figured that she still would be, too, if she'd never went to Hogwarts. Hermione then stood up, grabbed all of her stuff, and started walking towards the pool gate.

"Let's go, then. You better hope I have enough food at home, Aly, or else the grocery bill is on you." she told them as they started to get up to follow her.

All Hermione could think of was: How in all that was holy did she get herself into this mess with two Slytherins?

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><p><strong> ( Again, I like reviews, reviews are good. ;D )<strong>


	3. Chapter 3: Grilled Hot Dogs

**A/N:**  
>Hey everyone, again! (: I'll be trying to update everyday, yikes! This one is longer than last, but not by much. D: It seemed the perfect place to end though, leaving y'all with a cliffy. ;D<p>

I shall ask again: Does anyone think I need a beta? Please let me know in a review, or in a PM! Thanks! (:

Oh, and another question. What do y'all think of the length of these chapters? Should I try maybe updating every two days and get a longer chapter, or continue doing the short-ish ones everyday? Again, let me know in a review or PM!

And, because I forgot it in the last two chapters:

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor am I claiming to! Although I wish I /did/ own a certain ferret... ;D**

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><p><strong>Chapter Three:<strong> Grilled Hot Dogs

**Word Count:** 2,190

As Hermione had walked ahead, Malfoy, Zabini, and Aly had apparently decided that Aly would be going in Zabini's car with him while Malfoy went with her. Lovely. She didn't argue, it was a losing argument before it even started. She just walked to her car, got in and waited for Malfoy to hop in so she could lead them to her house. Once he had gotten in the passenger seat, she started the car and drove out.

"Why did you come here today, Malfoy?" she asked, genuinely wondering why he had agree'd to go when he probably knew she would be there.

"I could ask you the same thing." he said back, avoiding her question entirely.

"Well, for one, I had the excuse that I had no clue who we would be meeting, thanks to my so-called best friend. But you do not have that excuse. So why'd you come?" Hermione replied, not letting him get away with directing her attention else-where. She could see him shrug from the corner of her eye.

"Blaise can be very convincing when he wants to be." he said simply. Leaving it at that, Hermione put her attention back to her driving fully. Looking in the review mirror, she saw that Zabini was right behind her. Stopping at a light, she dropped her hands from the wheel and leaned back into the seat. Malfoy was looking at her, she could tell, but she didn't look at him.

"What do you do all summer in the muggle world, Granger?" he asked as she sat forward and gripped the wheel again when the light changed. Hermione shrugged, tilting her head to the side as she did so. His voice sounded...a bit different. Not as cold, maybe.

"I usually just hang around with Aly and Chris, really." she told him. "We tend to just sit and talk, or go to the pool, or sometimes go to a park or something." Malfoy was silent for a while, and she figured he probably hadn't even heard her answer.

"Who is Chris?" he suddenly asked. Hermione glanced at him, and them back at the road.

"My neighbor. Been friends for forever. Even before Hogwarts. I've never told him, though, but I was planning to this summer." she replied. "Why are you asking me' this stuff, anyway?" Silence again. Then,

"No reason. Just wondering what a mudblood did during vacation." The sneer in his voice was back. Hermione's back stiffened, and her mouth set into a firm line. She decided that she wouldn't answer, as they had just turned onto her street. It was a good thing that her parents had just done spring cleaning a while ago, or else Malfoy would have had yet another thing to pick on.

As she pulled into the driveway, she realized she was still only in her bikini. Crap. After she parked, she grabbed up her stuff and left the car in a rush, heading for the door while fumbling with her keys. After she had unlocked the door, she stepped in, leaving it wide open. She dropped her stuff on a couch that was by the stairs, and started to climb up them when Malfoy came in. She glanced at him briefly and their eyes met before she continued up the stairs to her room. For a moment, his eyes had looked...different. Almost, like...clear of any emotion.

Hermione shook her head as she closed her bedroom door. She had probably just imagined it...right?

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Downstairs, Draco looked around the Grangers' house. It was far smaller than the Malfoy Manor, though not a very small house compared to some muggle houses. He turned around just as Blaise and Aly came through the door, talking and laughing. When Aly saw him alone she stopped.

"Where'd 'Mione go? Did she leave you here by herself?" she asked, looking towards the stairs. Draco shrugged, but didn't have a chance to answer before Aly went running up the stairs and knocked on the door Granger had disappeared into. Draco could see her say something, and then listen as something was said back. Aly nodded and then came to the edge of the stairs.

"She's just getting changed. You guys make yourself at home, I'm going to do the same. Be right back!" And with that, she dashed off to a different door and disappeared inside. Draco looked over at Blaise, shrugged, and went to go sit on a couch. Blaise follow him, sitting on a chair across from the couch.

"So, Drake, you think going along with you mother is gonna be easy this time?" Blaise said after a few minutes of silence. Draco let out a small huff, shaking his head.

"No, I think it is going to be near dang impossible." he said. Blaise grinned and laid a hand on Draco's shoulder.

"I feel for ya, man, I really do. I would hate it if I had to be stuck with Granger all summer by my mothers wishes." Blaise replied, pulling his hand back. "Although her friend isn't so bad..." Draco snorted, but their conversation finished as a door opened upstairs. Draco looked over and saw Granger coming out of her room, new clothes on. She was now wearing a pair of jean shorts, and a light blue tank top. As she walked down the stairs, she was fighting to put her hair up in a ponytail. Draco could hear her mumbling madly, something about 'she wished she was 17 already so she could use her wand to do it'. By the time she reached the bottom of the stairs, she had managed to get the bushy mass of curls into a half-way decent pony tail. She grinned triumphantly, then began to walk over to were Draco and Blaise were sitting.

"So, I hope you guys are alright with muggle food, because that's all we have." she said as she continued to walk by them into, where Draco guessed, was the kitchen.

"So, you mean, mudblood, that-" Draco began, but was cut off by Blaise.

"Muggle food is fine, Granger." Blaise glared at him, and then looked back at the stairway as a door banged open and Aly came running down.

"Hermione! Have you seen my cell phone anywhere? I can't find it!" she said panicked. "Sorry, I'll be right back." she then directed a Draco and Blaise, walking by like Granger into the kitchen.

"I think you left it in my car, Aly." Granger replied to her and Aly came back running out and through to the door, opening it and running out. Blaise grinned, shook his head, and stood up to walk over to the door to help her find it.

"Need some help, Aly?" Draco heard him say, right before he closed the door behind him. Draco shook his head and stood up, walking over to where Granger was. He saw her standing in front of a cupboard next to and open freezer, breaking something apart and putting them on plates. She seemed unable to get anymore because they were frozen. She sighed in frustration.

"What in the world are those, Granger?" Draco asked her, wondering what the long skinny pink things were.

"They are called hot dogs, Malfoy. I was going to grill some, as soon as I get some more out." Granger replied with a decisive nod, picking up the pack of hot dogs again and trying to break some more apart. Draco snorted, walking over to her and grabbing the pack out of her hands. She glared at him, but made no move to take them back as he started to break them apart.

"How many do you want?" he asked after there were about 12 on the plate.

"A couple more should do." was the stiff response. Draco looked over at Granger and smirked at the angry expression on her face.

"Oh, come now Granger, just because I could break them and you couldn't is no reason to be mad." he jibed her, knowing how to push her buttons. After spending the last six years at Hogwarts with her, he'd say that he was an expert at picking on Granger. After Draco had gotten the last few hot dogs, and there was still no reply from Granger, he looked over again to see her looking at him with curiosity. He raised and eyebrow at her, but otherwise did nothing but stare back.

After what seemed like hours, but was probably only a minute or two at most, Granger looked away. She grabbed the plate and walked over to a pair of sliding doors that Draco hadn't noticed before. She opened them and went outside, obviously expecting him to follow since she left the door open. Draco did follow, sliding the door shut behind him. There was a nice deck out here that had a awning over it. To the right, there were chairs and a table. To the left, where Granger was, there was a grill. He had seen one before at a muggle store that Blaise had taken him to, and Blaise had explained it to him. Blaise was in to a lot of muggle things.

As Granger started to turn on the grill and put the hot dogs on, Draco went and sat down on one of the chairs. He hoped Blaise and Aly would get back here soon.

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After a while, Zabini and Aly had come back onto the deck. Aly had found her cell phone; apparently it had been under the drivers seat of Hermione's car. After the hot dogs were finished and they'd all eaten (Malfoy and Zabini both had said that the hot dogs were good, but could never compare to wizarding food), they sat on the chairs talking. Well. Aly and Zabini were talking, anyways. Hermione and Malfoy were just sitting and watching the two talk.

"So, we should, like, do something instead of sitting here!" Aly said all of a sudden. Hermione groaned, putting her head in her hands.

"Yeah, sure, let's go do something else that will be incredibly fun!" she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Aly didn't seem to notice it, though. She kept on talking and naming ideas of what they could do.

"Well, I can't speak for Blaise, but I'd say it's time for me to leave. I think we've out-worn our welcome." Malfoy said, glancing at Hermione. Zabini nodded his agreement, and Aly pouted.

"Yeah, I better get going too." he said, getting up. Malfoy followed him, and they both walked down the stairs of the deck.

"Ah, okay, but call me Blaise! You have my cell. We could so totally do something again! Like, maybe tomorrow or the next day! Byeeeee!" Aly shouted after them, and Zabini gave her a thumbs up and waved. Hermione gave a small wave, but Malfoy just kept walking.

"Ugh, I can't believe they left already." Aly whined.

"I'm glad." Hermione replied. "Aly, you do realize that Malfoy is the person who has made my life miserable for that past 6 years? I can't believe you did that!" Aly only shrugged in response.

"Yeah, well, Blaise thought it was a good idea, too." she argued. Hermione shook her head and got up to go inside, leaving Aly to clean up. As she was walking away, Aly's cell phone rang.

"Oh, Blaise! Your fast! Oh, Malfoy is driving? Yeah, anyways..." Hermione didn't hear the rest of the conversation before she went inside. She dearly hoped that she wouldn't be spending her whole summer with those two. As it was, they would probably be spending the better of two weeks with them. Aly had a way with dragging her into these things. She dearly hoped that Aly would get over Zabini soon, because if she didn't then Malfoy was undoubtedly going to have a lot more things to pick on her about at Hogwarts.

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Over the next few days, Aly dragged Hermione to multiple different places with Malfoy and Zabini. On Saturday they went to the beach, Sunday they went bowling (which she _almost_ beat Malfoy at), and now that it was Monday Hermione finally told Aly that she wasn't going to do anything today. She was going to sit around the house and read, watch the television, and do other lazy things.

"Really, Aly, you go ahead. You don't need me to go out. Just tell them I was too tired or something." Hermione told Aly after they had argued for a while. Sighing in defeat, Aly headed towards the door. When she got to it she stopped to say one last thing.

"Fine. But it's gonna be weird with two guys." She then opened the door and left, banging it shut. Hermione grinned and fell back onto a couch with her book. The book was Pride and Prejudice, one of her favorites. She'd probably read it around 5 or 6 times already, but she still loved it. The plot was amazing, and it never failed to draw her in...

After reading for a while, her eyes got heavy. She then fell asleep on the couch, her open book lying across her chest.

And that was how Malfoy found her when he came in.

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><p><strong>( Review, please! (: )<strong>


	4. Chapter 4: The Kiss

**A/N:**

Hi everyone! :D I'm back already~ I finally managed to get a decent sized chapter! And this chapter is by far my favorite. 8D Oh, by the way, the dress and shoes that Hermione wear in this chapter I actually have. They are the most pretty things ever. o.o Anyways, enjoy reading and please review! (: Reviews motivate me~

**(By the way, I still wanna know if y'all think I should get a beta...) **

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><p><strong>Chapter Four:<strong> The Kiss

**Word Count:** 2,514

The last thing Hermione had remembered was reading her book on the couch. Now, though, she was waking up to find Malfoy sitting next to her on the couch, just staring at her. She had fallen asleep sitting up, apparently. Either that or he had moved her that way. She blinked a few times, making sure she was seeing things correctly. What had woken her up, she didn't know, but it was probably the feel of him staring at her.

"Wha...what are you doin' here?" she asked, still half asleep. He smirked at her, but didn't really say anything.

"Didn't Aly tell you I wasn't coming today?" Hermione tried again, shifting in her seat so she was sitting more straight. Again, he didn't do anything but stare. Hermione was starting to get uncomfortable, and started squirming in her seat. She sent him a glare and shifted to face him.

"What is your problem? Would you please answer me? Why are you in my house watching me sleep like some...stalker or something?" she nearly yelled at him. This time, he did answer. But most definitely not like she had expected.

When Hermione felt Malfoy put his lips to hers, she was shocked. At first she did nothing, just sitting there letting him kiss her. Then, she would never know why, but she would always try to convince herself it was because she was still half asleep, she started to kiss back. He pulled himself up onto his knees, caging her to the arm of the couch with his hands. The collision of lips and tongue was dizzying, yet Hermione felt as if she was in heaven. Was she?

Hermione started to feel dizzy, and realized she should probably try breathing through her nose. She had only ever kissed one other person in her 16 years of life, and that was Viktor back in fourth year. It had been a very sloppy, fast, and un-meaningful kiss. While this was...it was different. She had no clue why he was doing this. They were enemies, right? She'd thought they were. They should be fighting, not kissing each other senseless.

Right then, Malfoy deepened the kiss. Using his tongue more and slanting his mouth almost threw Hermione over the edge of sanity. She was enjoying this far more than she should. Yet, despite all these thoughts, she kissed him back. She even brought her arms up and around his neck to tangle her fingers in his hair. Such soft hair. Why had she ever thought it was like ferret fur?

Then, Malfoy pulled away abruptly. He stared down at Hermione for what seemed like hours but was only around thirty seconds. Thirty short, long seconds. His eyes were clear and filled with an emotion she couldn't place, but then they were filled with the usual malice and hatred. It was almost as if he had forgotten himself in those short thirty seconds, and then he realized what he was doing and who with. He pulled back even further, ripping her arms and hands from around him. He gave her a glare that, if looks could kill, probably would have sent her to her grave, and then nearly ran to the door. He pulled it open, and then banged it shut loudly after him.

Hermione sat there in a stunned silence for a few minutes. Her mouth had dropped open, and she probably looked like a gaping fish. She didn't care, though. Nobody was there to see her. She couldn't believe that had just happened. Did he really, _really_, just do that to her? Oh, Merlin, this was bad. He would never let her hear the end of this. What would Harry and Ron say? And Ginny? Oh, she was doomed. Hermione dropped her head into her hands. Still, though, the kiss had been...wonderful. She couldn't deny it. She had enjoyed it. The first ever real kiss she had gotten. Even though Malfoy was a nasty, butthead ferret, she had to admit he could kiss.

Hermione groaned in agony. She then wearily got up, and headed towards the staircase. Maybe, just maybe, a nice hot shower would clear her mind. Or maybe not. She'd try, anyway.

Either way, all she knew was the she was going to be way mad when Aly got home. She has a lot of explaining to do, Hermione thought. And it better be a darn good explanation, too.

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"Hermione! Where are you?" Hermione heard Aly call after she had entered the house. Hermione had just finished getting dresses after her shower (which hadn't helped at all, she might add), and was now walking down the stairs towards her friend.

"Aly," she said calmly, "why did you send Malfoy here?" Aly looked nervous from Hermione's tone of voice, but otherwise didn't look guilty or sorry. She just shrugged and threw her purse on the couch.

"He asked if you were here, which I said yes to, and then he said he was going to go see what you were really doing. I didn't stop him because I wanted to be alone with Blaise." she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Why, what happened?" she then asked, getting excited so fast that Hermione was surprised she didn't get whiplash. Shaking her head, Hermione turned around to head back up the stairs.

"Wait, 'Mione, I forgot to tell you! Malfoy and Blaise are coming over later tonight, and then are taking us out to dinner. Blaise and I worked it out, so we both split up to get ready and tell you two what we'd planned. So go get a nice dress on or something! It's almost, like, five o'clock and they are coming at six!" Aly informed her as she pushed past Hermione and ran up the stairs. Hermione stood there, gaping like a fish again. How did it get to be so late? And, wait, she would have to go to dinner with Malfoy tonight? Oh, no way. This would be bad. But she couldn't do that to Aly twice in one day, even if that did mean seeing Malfoy. She sighed in defeat and climbed up the stairs to her room. She only had a few nice dresses, and she'd only ever worn them a few times. Sighing with defeat, she chose her favorite outfit ever. This would be a long night.

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At quarter to six, Aly and Hermione were standing in the sitting room, waiting for Malfoy and Zabini to pick them up. Aly was wearing a beautiful dress. It was a pale green, with light pink accents. It went almost down to the floor in length, and had little light pink designs lining the bottom. On her feet were a pair of little pink flats, which brought out how small and pretty her feet were. She wore little pink earrings in the shape of hearts, and a locket necklace. She had her hair down, and it looked beautiful spilling over her shoulders.

Hermione herself was wearing a more toned-down outfit. Hers was a dress that went a little past her knees in length. The top half of it was a mixture of colors all smudged together. There was white, light green, light blue, dark blue, and dark green. In the middle, around her waist, there was a delicate little belt that gave the dress some form. The bottom half of the dress was black, and it had a slit up the back that went about 5 inches up. Her shoes were another story. They had about a 4 or 5 inch heel, laced up the front, no toe, and a bunch of slits through them that exposed her feet. Her hair was up in a ponytail, the bushy curls calmed down by some hair products. She only had on a pair of tiny diamond earrings, and that was all.

"Remind me again of why I am doing this?" Hermione sighed to her friend, shifting on her feet.

"Because I'm your best friend and you would never put me off twice in one day." Oh. Right. That was why. Although she still couldn't believe she was doing this. They say in silence for the remained of their wait, and at six on the dot the doorbell rang. Aly threw her a grin as she walked towards the door and mouthed, 'ready?' No, Hermione was not ready. She wished with all her gut she didn't have to do this.

And then Aly opened the door, presenting a grinning Zabini and a Malfoy who looked like he'd been dragged here all the way from Malfoy Manor. Which he probably had been. Zabini got behind Malfoy and pushed him in, and Malfoy glared back at him as he stumbled inside. Hermione was still standing by the staircase, arms crossed over her chest and glaring at the floor.

"Well, isn't this...lovely!" Aly said, glancing at both Malfoy and Hermione. Zabini smirked and nodded in agreement as he shut the door behind him. Hermione looked at what the two of them were wearing. They looked like...no, they couldn't be. But, they looked like they could be...wizard suits? They weren't going to the wizarding world tonight, were they?

"So, I decided that we are taking you ladies to a restaurant in London. Wizarding London, to be exact." Zabini said, grinning when Aly squealed. Hermione glanced at him, raising an eyebrow.

"And how do you suppose we do that? Aly can't apparate, and wizarding London is a ways away from here if you hadn't noticed." She said, pointing out what was obvious. Zabini glanced over at her and his eyebrows furrowed; obviously Malfoy hadn't told him what had happened.

"Um, yeah, I figured she could side apparate with me. If that doesn't work, I set up a port key." he replied. Hermione shrugged, and then pulled her wand out of a pocket she had sown on the inside of the skirt of her dress.

"After you three." she said with a sweep of her arm. Aly walked over to Zabini and gripped his arm. She knew how this worked, as Hermione had told her about it before. "Alright, let's all meet at The Leaky Cauldron. See ya in a few!" With that, Zabini cracked away in side-along apparation with Aly, leaving Hermione with Malfoy. As soon as they were gone, she shot a glare at Malfoy who was staring at her.

"Problem?" she asked bitterly, and then turned sharply on her heel, apparating away to The Leaky Cauldron. She waited with Zabini and Aly for Malfoy, who was only seconds behind her, and then they went and found seats.

As Hermione saw a bunch of Daily Prophet reporters and wizards surrounding her, she got a feeling of dread in her stomach. What was everyone going to think of her being with two Slytherins? She hoped it didn't make the Daily Prophet, but it was almost impossible that it wouldn't. People were already staring and whispering. She just hoped, very falsely, that maybe Harry and Ron had stopped reading the Daily Prophet.

And now, to survive a dinner date with Malfoy. Joy.

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They had sat in the back of the place, trying to stay away from as many people as possible. It had worked so far, but Hermione didn't think it would last long. They had finished eating the main course of the meal, and were now eating dessert. The main conversation had been between Zabini and Aly, with both Malfoy and herself throwing stuff in every now and then.

"So, Granger, what did you do today for your resting up?" Zabini asked her, changing the conversation. Hermione's head shot up, her glance meeting Malfoy's for a fraction of a second before she turned her head to Zabini's.

"Mmm, not much. I read for a while, fell asleep on the couch...and then took a shower. That's when Aly got home. I never did have lunch..." she responded with a calm voice. She didn't even look at Malfoy as she brought her gaze back to her food.

"Huh, sounds fun. Draco never got there, though? Coulda swore he said he was heading over." Zabini said, making her face turn red. This time she did look up at Malfoy, and his icy gaze met hers. She could tell that if she said anything about what had happened, she'd be sorry for it. For some reason, him being so cold made her flinch inwardly.

"No, not unless he came when I was asleep." she responded.

"But 'Mione, I thought-" Aly never finished because she was cut off by a glare from Hermione. Aly's face scrunched in confusion, but then she just shrugged and continued to eat. Hermione used her napkin to wipe her face, then set it down and stood up.

"I'll be right back, I wanna get some air." she told her companions as she walked away, heading towards the door. She made sure to walk carefully, as she wasn't used to wearing heels. Pushing the Cauldron's door open, she pulled in a deep gulp of air through her nose, smiling. She hadn't been to wizarding London in quite a while. Hermione walked over to a bench and sat down, closing her eyes and leaning back. After a few minutes, she heard footsteps walking towards her. Then, someone sat next to her and she knew who it was.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" she asked lazily, not even bothering to open her eyes. She could feel him shift next to her, getting into a comfortable position.

"I wanted to talk to you about earlier." came the response, which shocked Hermione enough to open her eyes. She sat up fully and was about to talk, but he cut her off.

"I just wanted to tell you that that was nothing. _Nothing_, mudblood. Got it?" His voice was cold, as were his eyes. For some reason unknown to Hermione, it hurt a little.

"What do you mean, do I get it? I wasn't the one kissing you! Why did you do it, anyways?" Hermione shouted at him. They were both leaning towards each other now in their anger.

"Let's face it, Granger. For a mudblood you aren't so bad looking. Seeing you like that made hormones kick in, and that was all. I just wanted to make sure that your brain didn't over-think this and get us into a mess." Hermione's mouth dropped open as she gaped at him. She was doing a lot of that today, wasn't she? Had he just, in an in-direct and maybe un-conscious way, complimented her?

"I-" Hermione started, but was cut off. Again.

"I don't want it ever brought up again, seeing as we are undoubtedly spending a lot of time together this summer. Do I make myself clear, mudblood?" He didn't wait for an answer, just got up and walked back towards the Cauldron.

"Crystal clear, ferret." she muttered in disgust, leaning back into the bench again and muttering profanities about Malfoy under her breath.

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><p><strong>(Review!)<strong>


	5. Chapter 5: Give me the News

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Harry Potter, and I never will.

**A/N: **Hey guys! I really loved the reviews from last chapter, so thanks bunches for them! They all made my day. (: This one isn't too short, but I still wish I could figure out how to make them longer...P= Umm...I think that is all I have to say. Please remember to review! Last night I got a couple reviews that had me grinning like a mad man, to the point where my sister asked if I was okay...So thanks guys!

Anyways, enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter Five:<strong> Give me the News

**Word Count:** 2,227

The next morning, Hermione woke to the sound of tapping on her bedroom window. Sitting up and rubbing her tired eyes, she looked towards the source of the noise. Outside of her bedroom window were 4 owls, all of which were trying to get in. Hermione jumped out of bed and over to the window, un-latching it so the poor birds could come in. She untied all the letters from the birds legs, but none of them left. Which meant they expected a reply. Looking at the handwriting on the envelopes, Hermione saw Harry, Ron, Ginny and even Mrs. Weasley's handwriting on them. She hung her head. Crap. Along with Harry's was a copy of today's Daily Prophet, which she supposed she would have to look at. Harry was always the one to remember small stuff, like the fact she didn't get one here.

Putting the letters down on her desk and picking up the Prophet, Hermione went to sit on her bed. She slowly unfolded the paper, and her eyes met a moving picture of her and Malfoy siting on the bench last night, leaning into each other. They had slowed the picture so that instead of them looking like they were fighting, which they had been, they looked like they were having a nice talk. And the leaning that they had done in their anger made it look like they were about to kiss.

**LATEST LOVE STORY!**

**Many young witches and wizards have fallen in love during their sixth or seventh year, but who would have thought that these unlikely two would be a pair? We caught them here outside the Leaky Cauldron, having a nice talk as you can see in the image above. Sadly, we did not catch enough of their conversation to print, but it seemed as if they were talking about a kiss from earlier that day...or was it more? Will it last? What will Mister Malfoy's parents think...**

...Hermione's scream of outrage could be heard blocks away from the house. She could then hear scrambling in the next room, and she knew that she had awaken Aly. In the next instant, Aly came barging through her door, looking like she'd just got out of bed. Which she had. Glancing at the owls by the window, and then at the paper in her hand, Aly relaxed a little.

"'Mione, what in heavens name is wrong?" she asked as she came to sit next to Hermione on her bed. Wordlessly, she handed Aly the paper and waited for her to finish reading. Aly gasped as she saw the picture, and then her eyes skittered down to read the article. After a minute of her reading in silence, Aly folded the paper and sat it on the bed. Her face was solemn but Hermione could see the glitter in her eyes.

"Alright, first things first. Did you actually kiss him?" she asked, all faked emotions gone and the new, happy, excited emotions bursting. Hermione groaned and threw herself back on the bed.

"No, he kissed me. And then he left, with-ought saying a word. That is why I didn't want to go last night, Aly. That picture in the paper was slowed down a whole lot, because we were arguing and about to beat the living daylights out of each other. /Not/ about to kiss each other." she told her friend, groaning, again, in frustration. "And they were right, we were talking about the kiss. Or, more accurately, we were arguing about it. He said, and I quote: 'I just wanted to tell you that that was nothing. /Nothing/, mudblood. Got it?'." Aly took all this in with a concentrated, calculating expression. She looked as if she was trying to solve and algebra problem in her head. She then got up from the bed and gestured to the letters and owls.

"You go ahead and reply those, I'm gonna go eat breakfast and...well, you'll see. Just hurry." she said, leaving Hermione's room and closing the door behind her. With a heave, Hermione then got up and of the bed, walking over to the letters she was dreading to read. She decided on reading the one from Mrs. Weasley first, as it probably wasn't as bad as the other two would be.

Well, here goes nothing...

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"Drake, where are you?" Draco heard Blaise call through the Manor from where their floo was.

"Dining room, Blaise." he replied, throwing the Daily Prophet down and glaring at it. He had a feeling it was why his friend was here, too. Blaise then came rushing in, a copy of The Daily Prophet clutched in his hands. He came up to Draco and shook it in his face, and then seemed to see the copy sitting on the table.

"Oh, you've seen it already. Draco, what the heck? You kissed her? So you really were at her house yesterday? What is this?" Blaise looked livid, his eyes bugging out a little. Draco growled in frustration, and shook his head.

"Yes, I have seen it. And yes I was at her house and I did kiss her. And that," he pointed to the picture in the Prophet, "is an extremely slowed down picture of us arguing last night." Blaise seemed to take this in, sucking in gulps of what Draco assumed to be 'calming breaths'.

"So why'd you kiss her, then?" he asked after a while, dropping himself down into a chair a few places away from Draco's.

"I really don't know, Blaise. I went in and she was sleeping on the couch...I told her it was hormones but I'm not totally convinced myself. But hormones most definitely had play in it." he said, rubbing his temples. He heard his friend heave a deep sigh, and then the chair screeched against the floor as he got up.

"Well, since your mother isn't up yet, I suppose I'll leave you to explain this to her. I've got my explanation, I'm going to call Aly and see if Hermione saw it yet." Blaise said, walking back through the house to the floo. "Good luck!" he called just before the roar of the floo sounded off, signaling that Blaise had left. Draco scowled, wondering how his mother would react. She had wanted him to get public with her, but he had no idea how she'd react to this...

"Draco, dear, who was that? They left very fast." Narcissa's voice interrupted his thoughts, pulling him back into reality.

"It was Blaise. He wanted to discuss the Daily Prophet." he replied, pushing the paper to his mother. There was a small gasp as she saw the picture, and then silence as she read. Draco closed his eyes, waiting for his mothers reaction. While he was waiting, he realized one of the things Blaise had said. Call Aly to see Hermione's reaction? He wondered what that had been. He'd have to ask Blaise later.

"Draco, this is wonderful!" his mothers exclamation pulled him out of his reverie again. Draco raised an eyebrow at his mother, surprised at her reaction.

"You thought of the perfect thing, Draco! Letting people think you are in a relationship with Miss Granger is just the thing to do. You need to get her to believe it, too! Make her believe that you like her. Yes, Draco, you are brilliant!" Narcissa finished with a grin, beaming at her son. Draco couldn't help but let his mouth drop open in shock.

"But...but mother, I can't...not with..." he trailed off, realizing that his mother thought that was what he was already doing. "Very well, mother, I shall continue to...convince Granger that I like her." His mother's grin widened, if that was possible.

"Very good, Draco. Now go, make plans and see Miss Granger." she said with a wave of her hand. Draco stood up, walked over to his mother and kissed her on the cheek, and then left for the floo to go find Blaise. He'd have him set something up for the four of them with Aly, as he himself was most definitely not setting it up with Granger.

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After Hermione had finished writing her letters and sending them out (thank heavens /that/ was done), she got dressed and then went downstairs to find out what Aly was doing. When she got into the kitchen, she heard voices on the back deck. Heading out there, she found Aly and Zabini sitting in the chairs talking. Hermione automatically looked around to see if Malfoy was there (because she wouldn't want that), but found he was absent. Smiling at Zabini, she walked over and sat on a chair. Zabini grinned at her, and then opened his mouth to talk.

"So, did you find The Daily Prophet interesting this morning or what? Aly tells me you probably woke up the whole neighborhood this morning with your scream." Hermione blushed and looked down at her hands.

"Yeah, it was...interesting. Very...interesting." she replied with a nod.

"Yeah, well, anyway 'Mione, we have plans for today!" Aly squealed, ending that conversation. Hermione looked at her skeptically, waiting for her to finish.

"We are going shopping! In the wizarding world! Blaise said we could go to Diagon Alley! I can't wait! We have to pick up Malfoy first, though." Hermione had been smiling for the whole time she was talking, until Aly mentioned Malfoy.

"Oh, no. No, no, no, no. There is absolutely no way I am going anywhere near that ferret! Do you know what he said to me last night? No way. Never." she said stubbornly, crossing her arms over her chest and shaking her head.

"Too bad for you, Granger, because I'm already here." came a lazy drawl from the side of the house, just as Malfoy walked over. He had come from the front yard, which either meant he'd driven or walked here. Hermione threw her head back and let out a 'gnahh', which even she didn't know what it was. Malfoy continued to walk over, a smirk plastered to his face. When he reached the deck stairs, he stopped.

"Well, I'm here. Are we all going or is the mudblood staying here?" he asked, staring at her intensely.

"I'm coming." Hermione near growled. No way was she letting the ferret keep her from going shopping, especially with her friend on her first time to Diagon Alley. She stood up and went inside to go get money other than the muggle kind, and then walked through the house to the front room where everyone else was waiting. Zabini side-along apparated with Aly, and then Hermione spun on her heel and left with a crack, not wanting to be alone with Malfoy at all. Today would be a long, long day.

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The day went just as slow, if not slower, as Hermione thought it would. She always walked as far from Malfoy as possible, not even talking to him unless necessary. Now, Zabini, Aly, and Malfoy were all in a Quidditch store while she was looking at a book shop. She picked up multiple books from the shelf, flipping through them and setting back down the ones she didn't want. As she made her way to the counter to buy the books, she had around ten of them. She sat them down, and when the shopkeeper told her the price she groaned.

"Dang it, I don't have that much. Hold on a minute, let me put some of these back..." she told him, and as she was about to put a couple back, a bag of galleons was dropped on the counter. Hermione looked to see who had put it there, and saw Malfoy. He then continued to pick up her books, telling the shopkeeper to keep the change. Malfoy turned on his heel and walked to exit the store, and Hermione had no choice but to follow.

"Malfoy! What the heck? I can pay for my own stuff! Why did you do that?" she asked him, putting her hands on her hips when he stopped at a bench and put the books on it.

"Obviously, you couldn't." he said, just standing there. Hermione cocked her head, glaring at him.

"So why'd ya do it?" she asked again, not letting him avoid it. He merely shrugged, and before he could say anything else, they were interrupted by Aly and Zabini.

"Oh, 'Mione, this is soo wonderful! Can you believe all the awesome things they have here? Oh! Me, you, /right now/ are going to a dress shop. We'll be back!" Aly said, pulling Hermione away. She sent a distressed look over her shoulder, and she could hear Zabini laughing behind her.

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"So what did your mother say this morning?" Blaise asked Draco after both girls had left. Draco snorted and shook his head.

"She encouraged it. She wants me to get in a fake relationship with Granger, and even get her to believe it. I'm telling you, Blaise, I think my mother has finally lost it." he said. Blaise shook his head and let out a chuckle.

"So you gonna do it, then?" he asked. Draco sighed, dreading having to do this.

"You know I have to."


	6. Chapter 6: again?

**A/N:**

...this chapter is very short. D: Sorry! I didn't update yesterday because of Easter, and then today I was pretty busy so I only got a short one in this time...D;

But anyways, please read and review!

**Disclaimer: **Not mine. Sadly.

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><p><strong>Chapter Six:<strong> ...again?

**Word Count:** 1,932

A few weeks went by, with the foursome doing many things in and out of the wizarding world. Malfoy kept on buying Hermione things, and doing random odd things here and there that were...well, not like him. At all. She only reacted with different variations of 'I could pay for that/do that myself..' each time he did something. Never did she say thank you, or anything else of the kind. For the most part, Hermione Granger was giving Draco Malfoy the cold shoulder. Aly confronted her about being so rude to him, saying that maybe he was sorry for being so mean about the kiss, but she just scoffed at her friend and never believed a word of it. Why the heck would Malfoy ever be sorry to her about anything? Especially a kiss?

On the fourth weeks' Thursday, they were all preparing to leave for youth group again. It was six o'clock. They were leaving early so that they'd have a longer chance to play sports. As per usual, Blaise (who was now, yes, Blaise to her after a lot of nagging from him) and Aly sat in the back of her Volkswagen, leaving her driving with Malfoy (who had also tried to convince her to call him Draco, but she refused to do such) in the passenger seat. Aly and Blaise were now dating, often going out alone a few nights per week leaving Hermione alone at home. She was extremely grateful for this, because she thought that if she had to spend much more time around Malfoy, she'd go absolutely nuts. She wondered if this would last, even throughout their last year of Hogwarts. Blaise was known to be interested in muggle things, but with him being a Slytherin, what would his fellow house-mates say to him /dating/ a muggle? She hoped Aly didn't get her heart broken, or worse.

Her parents were, by now, home, but they didn't get into her personal life very much. They let her do whatever, and whenever, so they weren't a problem. Only down to it was that Aly was no longer staying at her house, and she now had to come up with excuses for why she was hanging out with the Slytherins that she so much despised. When they'd first come home, their reactions were...well, embarrassing for Hermione to say the least. Her mother had said: "Oh, but 'Mione dear, isn't this the boy you were telling us about not a few weeks ago, about all the terrible things he'd done? Why, you were nearly in tears!" right to him. Ugh. She had let out an outraged and horrified, "Mother!", and that had gotten her quiet for then. Thankfully Malfoy never dwelled on it, but he had almost grinned at the time.

So now, as the four of them climbed in her car, Hermione thought of all of this, and what had happened so far. Putting her key in the ignition, she didn't even hear Malfoy saying her name.

"Granger! What in Merlins name are you thinking about that has you so occupied?" She snapped out of her reverie, backing out of the driveway.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing. What do you want?" she replied to him, still not totally laying attention. Malfoy only snorted and shook his head, turning his attention out the passenger window. Hermione shrugged, keeping her eye on the road. Blaise and Aly whispering in the back seat could be heard, and she dearly hoped they didn't start kissing. It was awkward when they did, not to mention disgusting. Shaking her head, Hermione then wondered what they'd be doing tonight. She hoped something besides basketball, since that is what they'd been playing a lot recently. Maybe he would do something different, that they hadn't played in a while. Or maybe volleyball! She hoped so. Making a right turn onto the street of the church, she scooted back in her chair, making her back straighter. It was a habit she had; making herself more presentable when in an area where people knew her. She then turned into the parking lot, parking in her normal spot. She put her keys in her bag, got out, and shut the car door. Everyone else followed, getting out and shutting their doors, and then coming to stand by her. They all went in together, then, and when they reached the gym they stopped. Usually Blaise and Malfoy would go over to the guys while Aly and herself talked to the girls, but for some reason they both stayed with them.

"Blaise, Draco, aren't you going over there?" Aly asked them. She had taken to calling Malfoy Draco, too. She looked between the two of then, waiting for an answer.

"Uh, yeah, come on Drake." Blaise said, grabbing Malfoy's arm and pulling. Malfoy glared at him, but let himself be pulled away nonetheless. Hermione shrugged at the odd behavior, and then turned with Aly to go talk to their friends. After a few minutes of that, she told Aly that she would be right back; she needed to grab a drink from the kitchen. She walked out of the gym and towards the kitchen. It was in the very opposite end of the church, so it took her a while to get there. By the time she did get there, though, she could have sworn she heard someone follow her. When she walked, it sounded like there was another pair of more silent footsteps, and then when she stopped, they stopped too. Walking into the kitchen, she slipped her wand out of her pocket and gripped it tight. She had yet to turn on the lights, so she muttered a quick 'lumos'. When she turned around, she came face-to-face with none other than the ferret himself. Hermione let out a silent shriek of surprise, stumbling backwards. Malfoy smirked evilly, reaching towards the wall and flipping on the light switch.

"Something wrong, mud-Granger?" he asked, stumbling over what he called her. Hermione had noticed that ever since the day after the kiss, he had refrained from calling her mudblood. Saying mud, and then cutting off and calling her Granger was the closest he'd gotten.

"Nothing, Malfoy. What were you doing following me? Nox." she asked him, also saying the counter charm of lumos to put out the light from her wand. Grabbing the edge of a counter, Hermione heaved herself up into a standing position. She walked over to where there were some plastic cups and grabbed one. Malfoy shrugged, crossing his arms over her chest.

"Just came to see where you were going. It was boring out there." he replied, sounding lazily careless. Hermione turned the tap on the sink, filling her glass with cold water.

"Then why'd you come tonight?" she asked back, turning the tap off. Before she could turn around, she got caged in by two arms. She went stiff as she had a flashback to the last time this happened.

"I came, because I've been wanting to do this again, ever since it happened the first time." he whispered in her ear. He then turned her around, and she dropped her drink, spilling it on the both of them. Malfoy didn't seem to notice, though, as he leaned in and kissed her. Oh Merlin, oh Godric, oh GOSH! Hermione couldn't even register anything but those few words. She tried breaking away from him, but he had her caged in too well. She couldn't get loose. Oh, she /did not/ want this to happen again. But it was going to. She could already feel her resolve giving away. She put her hands on his chest, pushing to see if he'd let up. No such luck. She kicked him, not very hard, in the shins but he still stayed where he was. Then, not realizing why she hadn't tried this before, she reached for her wand which she had stuck back into her pocket. Malfoy seemed to realize what she was doing, though, because he grabbed her wrists and pulled them up. Then he pulled away from her mouth, resting his forehead on hers. They were both panting. He chuckled, making it sound very sensual.

"Something wrong, Hermione?" he asked, her given name sounding odd yet beautiful coming from his lips. She sucked in a breath, and tried to pull her head away.

"What are you doing? Get away from me, Malfoy! I am not doing this again, only to have you tell me it was all a mistake!" Hermione yelled a at him in response, trying to push him away. She looked into his eyes and saw something flare, and his gaze hardened, yet went soft all at the same time.

"Hermione, I wish I hadn't said that. It wasn't a mistake. I...I liked kissing you. Still do. Will you believe me if I say I'm sorry?" Hermione nearly then choked. Had he really just said that?

"Wha...what?"

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Draco couldn't believe he had just said that. Inside, he was cursing at himself many times over. It had taken him weeks to work up the courage to follow through with his mothers plan, and he was hating it. Although the look on the mudbloods face was almost worth it. It had been hard calling her Hermione, the name almost tasting bad in his mouth. This was going to be so hard. At least he was vetting some good kisses out of it, though, if nothing else. Maybe he'd even get more, if he was lucky and played his cards right.

"You heard me. I said I was sorry. Are you going to forgive me, or are you going to just stand there gaping like a fish?" Darn it. He was supposed to be nice to her, but he couldn't help it. And judging by the extremely angered look on her face, he'd just blown it. She pushed against him with all her might, sending Draco staggering back from surprise. The little mudblood had quite a bit of strength in her.

"Just leave me the heck alone, Malfoy! I don't want to see your ugly ferret face ever again! Why can't you...why don't you..." she yelled, trailing off to slump to the floor. She brought her knees up to her chest and laid her head down on them, making it so he couldn't see her face.

"Just go away..." he could hear her say from behind the curtain of hair that surrounded her. Draco sighed, and then turned to leave. He pulled his wand out quickly, muttering a drying spell on his shirt where she had spilled her water. Well, it looked like he was back where he started. He'd need to figure out a new way to convince her he was 'sincere', or at least convince her to think he was. Draco put away his wand, and started walking out of the kitchen. He glanced back to see that Granger was still sitting there, but her shoulders were shaking. She was crying. Why? He faltered in his walking, He felt a pang of...something...through his chest, but ignored it. He turned his back on her and continued to walk away towards the gym, shoving his hands in his pockets.

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Hermione didn't know why she was crying. Maybe the shock of it all? Maybe from the mood swings? Maybe, maybe because she felt like...like she was being used?

Oh, Merlin, she hoped this would stop soon. Because right now it hurt so bad, and she didn't even know why.

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><p><strong>( Review. (: )<strong>


	7. Chapter 7: Shocking Discovery

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Harry Potter or it's characters, although I do own the plot of this story. And I also wish I owned Draco Malfoy...I call dibs on him if he ever goes up for sale! ;D_

**A/N:**

Yo.

Oh, gosh, past couple days were...horrid. First I was grounded from the Internet by my parents *cough cough*, and then the power and Internet went out... bad times, people, bad times. So sorry I haven't updated. D: I'm going to an overnight camp tonight, so I might not update tomorrow again, but there is still a chance...

So, please read and review! I love reviews! Maybe if I get a bunch, I'll do the next chapter from Draco's POV...that sound good to you guys? Let me know! (: Or if you want someone else's POV...just let me know in a review!

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><p><strong>Chapter Seven:<strong> Shocking Discovery

**Word Count:** 1,972

Aly had found Hermione alone and crying in the kitchen later that night, and immediately ordered she tell her what was wrong. After she had told the story, Aly told her she needed to be taken home. She pulled the tear stained Hermione out of the kitchen to find the youth leaders wife, Mrs. Kunkel. Multiple people saw them on the way there, but she kept her head down, efficiently covering her face with her bushy hair. All the way, Aly was muttering things like: 'That stupid ferret' and 'When I get my hands on him, he is going to be sorry'. When they found Mrs. Kunkel, Hermione didn't allow her friend to tell the youth leaders wife what was wrong. Way too embarrassing.

"Do you have someone who can pick you up? You can't drive like that, honey." Mrs. Kunkel said, handing Hermione her cell phone.  
>"Um...yeah...Aly, could you call Chris? I have his cell memorized, but I don't think he'd be able to understand me over phone..." she handed the cell phone to Aly, giving her the number of their other best friend since childhood. After a few minutes of talking to him, Aly hung up the phone.<p>

"He's on his way, 'Mione. Said he'd be here as fast as he could." her friend told her. Hermione nodded her reply, letting a few new tears roll down her face.

"Aw, 'Mione, please don't cry anymore," Aly whispered to her, so Mrs. Kunkel wouldn't hear. "I'll kill the ferret, and I'll get Blaise to help. I swear I will." she only nodded in reply, honestly wishing someone /would/ kill him right now. Then, surprisingly, Chris came rushing in. Her head snapped up and she looked at him. When he saw her face he stopped in his tracks, frowning and walking over to her.

"You okay, 'Mione? What happened? Aly wouldn't tell me..." he asked in his familiar voice, a voice she'd heard almost everyday of her childhood. Chris had been her best friend before Hogwarts, even better than Aly. She had known him ever since she could remember, and they'd done things together that she'd rather not remember. They'd done happy things together, they'd gotten in trouble together, they'd even "engaged" at one point. That was long ago, though. Back when Hermione never knew anything about the wizarding world, back when she was just a normal person. Back when her life was perfectly innocent. That was all different now, of course. She wasn't like that anymore. Even though she sometimes dearly wished that she was.

"I'll tell you on the way home," was all she said to him, "I just really wanna get home, Chris." she got up and walked (well, more staggered) over to where he was. Chris put his arm around her waist and she did the same, laying her head on his shoulder. As the two of them left, neither of them noticed a tall, blond-headed wizard watching from the shadows with what appeared to be a jealous glint in his eyes.

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Hermione told Chris her story on the way home. He listened without interrupting, but he looked furious when she finished. She had to admit, having someone care about her like that felt nice. While Aly cared for her, it was just...different when it was a guy. When they arrived at her house, Chris shoved open his door and ran around to the other side to help her out. She smiled at him, getting a smile in response. They walked over to her front door, and stopped outside. He hugged her, wrapping her in a big bear hug.

"Would you like me to stay over tonight? Like old times?" he asked her, his mouth right by her ear. She thought it over for a little bit, and then smiling a little. That could be fun.

"Would you mind? We could sleep out on the deck, or something..." she said to him. He pulled back and grinned at her.

"Nah, I don't mind. It'll be just like old times. Just leave the door unlocked and I'll be right back, I'll grab a few things from home." he said, letting go of her fully and walking through others front lawns to get to his own house. Hermione then let herself in to her house, closing it but leaving it unlocked like he'd asked. Before he came back, she needed to call Aly and make sure she could bring her car back, after dropping off Blaise and ferret. Aly had a key to her car and her house, so that wouldn't be a problem. Heading over to their house phone, she dialed Aly's cell phone.

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Aly was in a empty room back at the church with Blaise and Malfoy, yelling at the top of her lungs when her phone rang. She clamped her mouth shut, gave Malfoy a glare that said 'I am so not done, don't you /dare/ leave', and grabbed her phone. Seeing the number in the caller ID, she let out a gasp and immediately answered.

"Hello? 'Mione, are you okay?" Malfoy had slumped into a chair in the corner, but his eyes snapped up when he heard Hermione's name. Blaise signalled for her to turn it to speaker phone, letting her know he wanted to hear. Aly nodded and put it on speaker phone, holding the phone out so Blaise could talk, too, if he wanted.

"I...yeah, Aly, I'm okay. Chris just ran home to get some stuff, then he's coming back..." came the reply. Malfoys head jerked at this, and he glared intensely at the phone, his mouth set in a grim line of anger.

"Oh, Chris is staying the night! How lovely of him! He's so great. You gonna stay out on the deck like we used to?" Aly said back happily, obviously trying to keep the mood light.

"Mmm, yeah he is. I told him what happened on the way home and it...helped...And, yeah we are. After I finish this call I'm gonna go get changed and then head to the deck to put the hammock up. Ya know, the big double one? I haven't slept on that thing in a while...Maybe we'll play a game or just talk since it isn't very late...Listen, Aly, I just wanted to make sure to remind you to bring my car back after you drop...them...off. You good with that?" Hermione asked, her voice cracking a few times.

"Yeah, of course, thats fine. Have fun, 'Mione. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, g'bye.."

"Bye." And with that, Aly hung up her phone. With slow, measured movements, she closed it and slid it into her pocket. She could feel the atmosphere immediately get tense, and Malfoy had gone stick straight in his seat. He looked like he was about to burst from pent up anger, and his face was flushed red. Aly could only imagine what was going on in his head.

"So, where was I..."

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It had been 3 days since the youth group incident. The only people Hermione had allowed in the house were Chris and Aly. (And, obviously, her parents.) She hadn't left in the whole time, but today Aly was nagging her about getting out and about. She had promised that they would go out on their own, but still Hermione wasn't convinced.

"'Mione, please..." Aly whined, tugging on her arm. "Only Chris will be with us. What reason would Malfoy have to be in a muggle area? We'll go see a movie, have lunch, maybe go shopping...like old times!" Sighing, she gave up.

"Fine, I guess I can take a day out with you and Chris. But if this turns out bad, I blame you..."

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About half an hour later, Aly, Chris, and Hermione were all walking down the street towards a restaurant. It was one they often came to when they got together; it wasn't very expensive yet had great food. Once they were seated and their orders had been taken, she excused herself to go to the bathroom. It was at the very back of the restaurant, down a hall that was usually deserted. Yes, there was a reason to say 'usually' deserted. As she was walking towards the ladies bathroom, an arm snaked out of the shadows of a crevice and hooked around her waist. Before she could scream, the other arm came up and put it's hand over her mouth. She knew that this muggle wouldn't really be able to hurt her before she got to her wand, but she was still terrified. She reached for her wand, which was tucked in a pocket in her jeans, but the person saw her.

"Ah, ah, ah, Granger, leave the wand where it is." said a voice that she wasn't positive who it belonged to. It sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it. One thing for sure, Hermione realized that this was not a muggle she was dealing with. And nor was this person friendly or weak. The owner of the voice started walking forward, taking her with him. He was pulling her into the crevice where he had come out of, and it looked like there was an exit door in it. He shoved the door open with his foot, and pushed her outside, letting her go and walking out after her. Hermione immediatly reached for her wand, only to find it...gone? Looking up at the man, who was still in the shadows so she couldn't see him properly, she saw him twirling her wand in his fingers. How he had gotten it, she didn't have a clue.

Then the man walked out of the shadows, a wolf-like grin on his face. And Hermione gasped as she realized who it was that had taken her.

"Are you surprised, mudblood? You should be. Didn't think I'd see you again for a while, and I can imagine you thought the same..." he said while walking slowly towards her. Hermione grimaced, disgusted at this man that she once only considered as a enemy through house rivalry. Now, she loathed him on a higher level. She couldn't believe this was happening. That she was trapped without her wand in a dark alley in the muggle world, with none other than Theodore Nott.

"Why are you doing this? Why me? I thought I was just a lowly mudblood to you." she asked, trying to get him to talking so he wouldn't do anything. She couldn't imagine him doing anything too rash, but one could never tell...

"Thats the point, Granger. You are a mudblood, so you should be treated like one. You shouldn't have a wand, and you should be left broken and bloody in the alleyways behind a muggle building. Which is exactly where you are going to be in a few minute." he replied, not taking the bait and talking. Hermione stiffened, watching him pull his wand from a pocket in the wizard robes he was wearing. Right as he pointed it at her, they heard someone yell 'Petrificus Totalus', and a shot of light came and hit Nott in the side, effectively knocking him to the side. He lay there, unmoving, as the spell took hold of him. Hermione threw her hand up to her chest, breathing in deep gasps. She sat hard on the ground, shaking from fear. Then, remembering someone had helped her, she looked up and to the side. Who had it been?

And then she saw the last person in the world that she thought would be there and helping her.

Draco Malfoy.

And he didn't look happy at all. Livid, in fact.


	8. Chapter 8: Havic

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own HP or it's characters, but I do own this plot. If I did own Harry Potter, I would be making more books not fanfictions._

**A/N:**

****  
>Wow.<p>

All I can say is: Wow.

I left for camp, and when I got home the next day and refreshed my mail on my ipod, it locked up from all the e-mail notifications.

I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH. 3

Your reviews are what keep me going. : D

Thanks everyone for your input on which POV I should do. Draco's POV won, so that's whose I will be doing. Someone also suggested I do Hermione's, too, so there will be a little of that, also. (:

And as for everyone who commented on Chris and Aly, I just wanted to say that they are friends I have in rl. (: Chris is my neighbor, and Aly I met over the internet. The youth group is where I go, too, as well as Mr. & Mrs. Kunkel leading it. This probably wasn't info you needed, but I thought maybe ya'll would like to know...

Anyways, enjoy! Please review! Reviews make me happy. (:

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><p>Chapter Eight: Havic<p>

Word Count: 1,740

Draco glared at Aly's cell phone as she hung up. He even glared at her pocket when the phone was put in it. Chris was staying with Granger? All night? What the heck? So she would willingly let that gangly teenager muggle stay over at her house, in a hammock with her, while she wouldn't even let him kiss her? He could feel his face flush in anger. Anger at Granger for choosing the muggle over him. Anger at his mother for making him even care. Anger at his father for getting put in Azkaban, making his mother want him to do this in the first place.  
>"So, where was I..." Aly said, bringing him out of his ranting. He sighed heavily, and looked at her with a icy glare. Before she could continue with whatever she had been saying, he interrupted.<p>

"As nice as this little chat has been, I think I'll leave now. I'll see you later, Blaise." Draco then proceeded to leave the room before either of them could say anything. He walked through the church that was now familiar to him, heading towards the door that lead outside. Everyone else was now in the lesson, completely oblivious to anything that had just happened. That was good with him, he doubted he would be able to stop and chat or make excuses for why he was leaving early in this mood. How dare that filthy little mudblood refuse him? And then go take comfort in some muggles arms? He had absolutely no clue how he would talk her into being his girlfriend now. It was only late June, and they still had a couple months before going back to Hogwarts, but it would still be difficult. His mother owed him big. This would be hard. Maybe he'd send her anonymous gifts? Nah, that was over-used. He needed something original. But until he could figure out something, he would keep an eye on her. He'd monitor where she was going, who she was seeing...and he'd not tell anyone about it. He needed a way to figure out what would win her over, and keeping an eye on her was just the right thing. He would never let her see him, though, for that would mean that she would probably never be changed.

Draco pushed open the door to the church, a smirk on his face. This would be interesting. He'd done some spying on people before, but this would be different. This time, he would be spying on the mudblood Granger. He would start tomorrow morning, but for now, he was going to apparate home and get a good nights sleep.

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Two days of spying, and nothing. She stayed in her house for a full three days, only letting her parent, Aly, and the red-headed teenager in. She must have a thing for red heads, because she sure did seem to spend a lot of time around them. Then, finally, on the third day of spying, she came out with Aly and Chris. They seemed to be going somewhere, turning down the sidewalk and continuing down it. Draco followed them, making sure to stay out of view. When they stopped outside of a muggle eating area, he slipped in after they had been seated and grabbed a table in a far corner that was dark, and assured he wouldn't be seen by them. Sighing heavily, he rested his head in his hands. Why did he have to do this? Oh, right, because his father was stupid and landed himself in Azkaban, and his mother happened to be a plotting pixie.  
>When Draco looked up again, he realized that Granger was no longer at the table. He quickly scanned the area, and, seeing that she wasn't there, decided that she must have left for the restrooms. He quickly got up and walked towards the hall where both the ladies and mens restrooms were, slipping down it but keeping close to the walls. He stopped just inside of a dark crevice in the wall that had a door to the back of it to wait for Granger to come out of the bathroom. As he was waiting, he heard voices coming from the other side of the door. It sounded like...the mudblood? Draco slowly walked to the door, opening it a crack. He looked out and saw Granger, who had a horrified look on her face, and...Theodore Nott pointing his wand at her? What the...<p>

Quickly slipping through the door, staying in the shadows, he walked to the left so that he wasn't directly behind Nott. Slipping his wand out of his pocket, he threw a 'Petrificus Totalus' at him as he was about to throw a spell at Granger. As Nott fell to the side, I could feel my face crunch up in anger. How dare he? Draco had known that Nott was very, very, prejudice to muggle-born witches and wizards, but he hadn't realized how much until now. At Hogwarts he had always been talking about 'giving mudbloods their due' and all that junk, but now he'd taken it to the extreme. Too bad no one had realized that he was so far gone, or they could have helped him.

Shaking his head, Draco turned his eyes to Granger who was now on the ground, looking up at him with a horrified, scared expression on her face. She gulped, and as he watched her, his face still contorted in anger, her eyes shined over in tears. He was breathing heavily, his nostrils flaring with rage. This was...he couldn't even explain it. He had no clue how he was going to deal with this now. Should he just leave? Stay? Say something? In the end, he decided to just say something because the silence was far too great. Plus, he had a lot of questions for her. When he spoke, his voice was laced with anger...and some other strong emotion.

"Are you okay?" At first, his words shocked even himself, and he could tell they'd shocked Granger, too. Even though his voice was rough with emotions, it came out sounding...concerned. Draco blinked a few times, about to say something that would make it sound not so soft, but then realized that maybe...just maybe something like this would convince her that he was sincere. Not that he was, but that was besides the point.

Granger sniffled, wiping the back of her hand across her nose.

"I...I think so. Wh-why are you here? Why did you do that? H-how did you know where I was?" The questions poured out of her mouth, just like the Hermione Granger he knew from Hogwarts. Rolling his eyes, he stepped over and offered his hand to her. She took it, letting him pull her up. With his face still showing anger, he held her hand a little longer than necessary.

"Why I am here doesn't matter, just that I got here in time does. Where is your wand, Granger? Do you know what he could have done to you?" He even let his voice crack at the end of his question, making it seem like his emotions were on the edge. Which they were, but not in the way he was trying to make it seem. Or...at least he thought. She looked up at him, shock on her face as he showed emotions. Her eyes flickered between emotions, obviously trying to decide what to think. After a little bit, her face suddenly set in a mix of sorrow and gratefulness.

"He took it before I could get to it. And...thanks, Malfoy. I...probably wouldn't be in this good of shape if you wouldn't have been here." she said with a slight smile that didn't reach her eyes. She was obviously still wary of him, but he could tell he had cracked through her wall slightly. Draco gave her a nod, smirking back. Granger was obviously confused, shuffling on her feet not knowing what to do.

"No problem, Granger. Just...be more careful." he said, walking towards the end of the alleyway they were in, instead of going back into the building. "So, does this mean we are back on speaking and seeing each other terms?" he then threw back over his shoulder, adding some hope into his voice. Seeing her nod, yet do nothing else, he smirked again and walked away.

The hope he had in his voice should have been faked. Yet, as Draco turned the corner, leaving Granger behind, he couldn't help but realize...that it hadn't been fake. Draco scowled, realizing he needed to be more careful. He had to stay as detached from the mudblood as possible. Never could he slip up, and he could never fail. His parents depended on it.

Draco wondered where he should go next. Maybe home. Maybe he should circle around and follow Granger again. Or maybe he should do something about Nott. Maybe...

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Hermione was frozen in shock. Had Malfoy seriously just saved her, and then walked away? If she'd had any clue what to think of him before, it was definitely way whacked now. She was so confused. Was Malfoy good or bad? Did he really like her or was he just playing around, to possibly get things from her? What did he want? Sighing, Hermione walked over to Nott's stiff body, prying her wand from his hand. Not wanting to deal with him, she just decided to send an owl in the morning to the Ministry, telling them where he could be found. He'd be fine until then. Now she had to decide whether to tell Aly and Chris what had just happened, or...no. She wouldn't tell them. No need to get them worried; nothing had happened. She needed time to think about all of what had happened without her friends influencing her thoughts.

Hermione then went back in to the building, putting a smile on her face and heading back to her friends. Nothing happened, nothing happened, nothing happened...and thats how it would stay, in the mind of her friends. Nothing happened. All was well. Hermione Granger was fine. She wasn't in a world of havic right now to them, she was just normal. But sadly, that could never be. Hermione was never normal. She was a witch, in a world of muggles. She was different, yet ordinary.

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><p><strong>(REVIEW)<strong>


	9. Chapter 9: Running Away

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own HP or it's characters, but I do own this plot. If I did own Harry Potter, I would be making more books not fanfictions._

**A/N:**

Thanks again for reviews, guys. :D My school is getting more busy, and so is my schedule, so from now on I'll probably be posting about every 2-3 days. (: SO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE. D:

As for the book mentioned, 'House' by Ted Dekker, I have actually read that book and it was UHMAZING. If you haven't read it, I suggest you do. ;D

So close to 50 reviews! Whoever is number 50, they get virtual cookies and ice cream. (; So review!

Enjoy~

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><p><strong>Chapter Nine:<strong> Running Away

**Word Count:** 1,469

The next morning after Hermione had sent off a owl to the Ministry telling them where Nott was, she went downstairs to gave some hot chocolate on the couch and read. She didn't have anything for this morning planned, but that didn't mean she wouldn't be doing anything. Grabbing her book, which happened to be 'House' by Ted Dekker, a horror story, she sat down with a cup of hot chocolate she had made previously. Reading a few chapters and drinking sips in total concentration, she sighed as her mind then began to wander to other things. Other things being Draco Malfoy. Hermione was really confused as to what she should think about him. Was he sincere? Was he just trying to get something from her? What did he want? Confusion was one of the worst things for her, because she didn't have it very often. Especially over a guy.

Hermione's pondering was interrupted by something tapping on her window. She turned her head towards the noise, only to see a Ministry owl waiting to be let in. Scrunching her brow, she got up to let the owl in. This was strange, as she hadn't been expecting a reply. The owl looked to be in a hurry, shifting from one foot to the other on her arm once it had landed there. As soon as she untied the letter from it's leg, it flew in a hurry back out the window. Odd. With a shrug, Hermione unrolled the letter.

_Dear Miss Granger,_  
><em>Thank you for alerting the Ministry to Mr. Nott's where-abouts and wrong doings. We are very glad that you were not hurt when he attacked, and that Mr. Malfoy was able to help. Please keep in mind that you should have your wand with you at all times, and to keep safe.<em>  
><em>However, when we arrived at the area you indicated, Mr. Nott was gone. Stuck on the wall was a note, reading:<em>

**_"Granger, or whoever else she sends-_**

**_I guess you never realized that someone might have been with me, huh? Anyways, I'll be long gone by the time anyone reads this. Make sure both Malfoy and Granger know to watch their backs; because we are out for revenge...and blood._**

**_-Nott"_**

_Miss Granger, we ask you to take great care until Mr. Nott is caught, along with whomever was with him. We have sent a copy to Mr. Malfoy, also, so you do not have to alert him. If you feel the need, we can have people assigned to protect you. Just give the word._

_Keep safe._

Oh no. The look of horror right then on Hermione's face must have been great, because when her mother walked in to the area she rushed right over.

"Hermione, what is wrong? Are you hurt? Sick? Honey, answer me..." wordlessly, Hermione handed her mother the letter while walking back over to the couch and dropping back down. She had to call Aly and Chris right away. Let them know she might not be around much...Nott would probably think that she would hide in the Muggle world. She had to trick him. She had to plan. She had to talk to Malfoy...

Her mothers sharp intake of breath and shout for her father broke Hermione out of her plotting. It also shocked her back into action. She jumped off of the couch, and ran towards the phone. She could hear her parents talking in urgent tones back where she had left them, but wasn't paying attention. She had to get out of here before she put her parents and friends in danger. But first, she needed a place to go. And she didn't have any clue where she could find one.

Dialing her best friends' phone number from memory, she waited anxiously for her to answer.

"Hey 'Mione." Aly finally answered the phone, obviously using the caller ID.

"Aly, you have to listen to me. I'm leaving. I don't know where or for how long, but I have to go. I just wanted to say goodbye, and that I'll miss you. I can't tell you anything more over the phone, but my parents can tell you later." Hermione said in a rush, hoping her friend would understand and not make a big deal about it over the phone.

"But...but Hermione, whats wrong? Oh, wait, you just said you can't answer that...When will I see you again? Can I come with you? Oh, please Hermione, please don't tell me you'll be leaving for good..." Her friend asked, her voice cracking with sadness.

"I don't know, Aly, how long I will be gone. But I assure you, I will not be gone forever. Now, I have to go. By parents will call you to tell you when you can come, but for now I have to say goodbye. Bye, Aly."

"O-okay. Bye, 'Mione. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too." And with that, Hermione hung up on her friend, not knowing when she would be able to talk to her next. She heaved a heavy sigh, blinking back tears. Now she would have to make that call again, except to a much harder person. Chris. And she knew he wouldn't take it well.

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Draco was shocked when he received the owl. He obviously couldn't stay at the Manor anymore, since it was the first place Nott would look for him. He had no clue, though, where he would go. And what about Granger? Should he try and contact her? Would it help with tricking her into liking him? Did that even matter anymore? With a heavy sigh, Draco set out to find his mother and alert her that he would be leaving.

After that had been done, and he'd managed to get away without getting cried on too much, he went to go pack some things into a bag for this trip. No telling how long he'd be gone. When he made it up to his room, he heard a ringing. Oh, wait, wasn't that the muggle cell phone Blaise had talked him in to buying? Realizing that is what it was, he rushed over to his bed, grabbing the phone off of it. Who would be calling him on this? Not even bothering to check who it was, he flipped it open and pressed the little button that had a blob of green on it, like Blaise had shown him.

"Hello?" he said into it, finding it incredibly odd to be doing so.

"Malfoy? Is that you? Did you get an owl from the Ministry?" Grangers nervous voice sounded from the phone, asking questions in a rush. Draco pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it in shock. Then he put it back, and replied her questions.

"Yes, it's me, now calm down Granger! I got the owl, and I was about to start packing before I was rudely interrupted." Tucking the phone in-between his ear and his shoulder, Draco then began to go through his closet, pulling things out and throwing them over his shoulder, not caring where they landed.

"Oh...where are you going? Because I have absolutely no clue where to go, and I don't want to put my friends or family in danger. And having guards around the house would totally freak them out, so I can't do that, either." Granger was now almost rambling, and it made her sound nervous. She was probably terrified. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Draco contemplated whether or not he should offer to let Granger to come with him. Would she even say yes if he did? Figuring that it might come in handy to have the know-it-all with him, he made his decision. Besides, it might even help him and his mother in the long run...

"Do you want to come with me?"

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"Do you want to come with me?" came the voice from the other end of Hermione's phone. She gasped, not actually believing he had asked her. She had been hoping since it would be safer, but hadn't actually expected him to ask...

"Oh, can I Malfoy? I mean, it would be safer, among other things. Where are you going anyway?" she asked him, hoping he wouldn't back out.

"I don't know. Just get over to the Manor as soon as your done packing, and I'll have decided by then." with that he hung up, not even bothering to say a goodbye. Hermione hung up her phone, wondering how she would get to the Manor. She could apparate, but she would assume they had apparation wards... Well, she would get there either way. No way was she going to let Malfoy leave without her. With that thought, she dashed up the stairs to pack.

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><p><strong>(Let me know what you think!)<strong>


	10. Chapter 10: Camping Fun

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own HP or it's characters, but I do own this plot. If I did own Harry Potter, I would be making more books, not fanfictions._

**AN:**

Hey people! 8D Thanks again for all the reviews and favorites and stuff, I really appreciate them. (: Sorry for such a late update! D: Been waaay busy as of late. But on the plus side, I go to youth group tonight! (= And me and a few friends are having a Harry Potter Movie Marathon sleepover. *insert happy wiggle dance here*

Anywho...thanks to **CitrusObsessed** for being my 50th review! 8D *throws confetti in the air and hands over the food* Give her a shout out for reviewing so faithfully. ;D

And, as always, enjoy, and please **review! **

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><p><strong>Chapter Ten:<strong> Camping Fun

**Word Count:** 2,370

After packing a lot of clothing and other things she would need, Hermione had headed down the stairs to say goodbye to her parents. After that had been done, and many tears had been shed, she walked out of her childhood house. She had no clue if or when she would see it again, so she murmured a goodbye to it under her breath. Then she contemplated how she was going to get to the Malfoy Manor. She'd never been there before, so maybe it would be best to floo there. She thought about where she could find a floo, for a minute entertaining the idea of going to the Weasley's house. She shook her head, immediately discarding that idea. She'd told her parents to contact them, but if she went now and told them they might never let her leave. She didn't want to put any of them in danger. Maybe she could floo from the Leaky Cauldron? Sighing, Hermione decided that would have to do. She walked to the side of the house, still clutching her luggage, and apparated with a crack.

After going through the floo at the Leaky Cauldron, Hermione stumbled out into the Malfoy Manor. She would never get used to those things. Looking around, she realized that it looked like she was in some sort of sitting room...but other than that, she had no clue where she was or where to go. As she dusted herself off from the trip over, she heard someone coming. The doors to the area swung open, and in walked Malfoy. He looked at her, then her luggage, and then started to walk over.

"I thought I heard the floo. Realized after I hung up I didn't tell you how to get here." he said to her, picking up her luggage and motioning for her to follow him.

"I could do th-" she never even finished her sentence because of the glare Malfoy shot her. Scrunching up her face, she followed him through the winding halls and staircases, until they came to a room. The door of it was open, and inside was a bedroom. She assumed it was Malfoy's, since there were articles of clothing strewn everywhere, yet no luggage in sight.

"Where is your luggage?" she asked him, walking into the room and looking around. It was huge. His room itself was probably almost as big as her house, and it was all decorated in greens and silvers, along with some black. There was a huge bed in the middle of the room, and it had a green spread that had snakes on it. To the right of the room was a walk in closet, which was probably the size of her room.

"What do you mean, luggage?" he scoffed, pointing to a bag on the bed. "I have _that_." Hermione walked over to it and picked it up. She realized it must be a charmed bag that fit many things.

"Wish I had one of these, would have made it a lot easier..." she muttered, unit sure if he could hear her or not. Obviously he could, since he smirked and threw her luggage on the bed. Before he could say anything, though, she continued.

"Have you decided where to go yet? I honestly have no clue, and I don't think I'll be able to think of anywhere with my head clouded with f-fear." she stuttered on the last word, not wanting to admit to being weak in front of Malfoy. Surprisingly, though, he didn't make a comment. He just shook his head, sending his platinum blond hair into his eyes. Wait, platinum blond? Since when had it looked like that? It used to look like ferret hair...

"I have some places in mind, but I just figured maybe we should just go into the middle of nowhere and hide out. I think he'd not think of that, because he wouldn't think that i's do it. Honestly, I don't, but it seems like the best choice." he said, stuffing his clothing into the bag. Hermione picked up a shirt that had been thrown on the bed, folded it absent-minded, and handed it to him. He gave her a strange look, raising an eyebrow, but didn't comment.

"I...I think that sounds like a good idea. I haven't camped in forever...maybe we should go to a muggle area? I'm glad it is still summer, because then it won't get cold..." she continued to fold random clothing on the bed and hand it to him while she talked, liking the idea of going 'camping' instead of going into hiding. Okay, well maybe it wasn't the same as camping, but it was pretty close, right? Wait. Wrong. She was going with Malfoy. Big set back, but still...

Malfoy shrugged, looking indifferent. "Yeah, sure, whatever. As long as it is the middle of nowhere so we can actually use our magic, I'm good with that." he said, continuing to stuff things in the bag. He didn't even bother folding the stuff that he was putting in, so she could only imagine what a wrinkled mess he would be in the up-coming days.

"Have you told your mother yet? She's the only one living here with you, correct? I hated having to tell Aly and Chris goodbye over the phone, not even able to tell them why..." Hermione asked him, trailing off as she remembered how Chris had exploded and demanded an explanation that she couldn't give. It had been heart breaking when she'd had to say goodbye and then hang up.

"Yes, I have, and yes, she is. Once I finish packing we can go right away." Malfoy responded stiffly, shoving things into the bag with more force. Hermione gave him a curious glance, but then shrugged. Whatever his problem was, she didn't want to know about it.

"Okay, then, um... I suppose we could go to a place my parents and I camped a few years ago. It's in the middle of nowhere, it's beautiful, and I remember where it was so we can apparate." she said, folding a last pair of pants and giving them to him. He muttered a 'thanks' under his breath and pulled the drawstring on the bag. He then walked over to a little table by the bed that she hadn't noticed before, picking up both his wand and his cell phone from it. He grabbed her luggage from the bed, and started walking to the door.

"Let's go, we can't apparate from here." he said over his shoulder as Hermione scrambled off of the bed to follow him. She never took her eyes off of him, because she feared that if she did she would get totally lost in this place. He led her down the many winding staircases, through different corridors, and past many rooms. In fact, she thought she'd seen the room with the floo, but she couldn't be sure. She was surprised even Malfoy himself didn't get lost in this place. When he reached a very large doorway, she sighed a breath of relief. This had to be the door leading outside. Malfoy pulled out his wand, and with a flick of his wrist the doors opened. He walked out them, and Hermione followed him to the outside of the Malfoy estate.

Gasping at the beauty, Hermione did a full spin to see the entire area. There were gardens, springs, fountains, clipped shrubs in all different shapes, and even lawn furniture! Who new they had lawn furniture for wizards? When she turned back to Malfoy, she found him looking at her intently. She gave a shy smile, and started to walk his way.

"It's beautiful here! You have a great home, Malfoy." she complimented, truly meaning it. She was a tad envious, but who wouldn't be? She'd bet there were over 100 rooms in the east wing of the Manor by itself...

Malfoy gave a dismissing shrug, and turned back to walk the way he had been originally going. Hermione realized that he wasn't going to say anything else, so she just sighed and followed him. He led the way to a gate, and then opened that with his wand and walked out. After she had walked through, he again closed the gate with his wand. "It is safe to apparate now. I assume we will be doing side-along, since I do not know where it is we are going?" he asked her, re-adjusting her luggage that was slung over his shoulder. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, that'll work." she muttered as she walked to him. She took his bag from him and held out her arm for him to grab. As he did so, Hermione apparated them away with a loud _pop_, and they disappeared from the Malfoy grounds.

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Off-balance from the weight of Grangers' luggage, Draco stumbled forward a bit when they apparated to the area. Quickly catching himself and putting the blasted thing down, he looked around at his surroundings. There were trees everywhere, except for a clearing in the center of them that had a tent already set up in it. The trees were all different kinds, and they were all in their full glory of the summer time. To the left of the tent (from where he stood), there was a small stream that they would be able to get water from. To the right was a small building, but he had no idea what it was. Looking to Granger, he saw that she was looking at the area with misty eyes.

"We left that tent here last time we left, for when we came back." she all but whispered, gesturing with her head at it. Draco nodded; he'd figured as much. He realized, though, that it probably wasn't charmed and was actually as small as it looked.

"What is that?" he asked with clear distaste in his voice, pointing to the small building. Granger looked to where he was pointing, and grinned.

"Oh, that's the restroom. Ya know, a bathroom. There's also a small shower in there, which is great because I have a feeling we'll need both before this is over." she said, walking towards the tent. She grabbed her luggage on the way over, still carrying his bag. She then unzipped the flap of the tent and went in, disappearing from sight before he could say anything.

Heaving a deal sigh, Draco pinched the bridge of his nose. This would be terrible. What in the world had he gotten himself into? The tent was tiny, and they'd both have to sleep in it. The bathroom and shower were both undoubtedly small, and they too would have to share them. This couldn't get any worse. He had a feeling that if Nott didn't find them and injure them first, they were going to injure each other sooner or later. He hoped that it was later.

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Once Hermione had put both of their things inside, not bothering to unpack either of them, she went back out. It was so amazing here. Just like she remembered. Well, with one exception. She never expected Malfoy to be here. But that was only a minor set back. She would still love being here, even if they were in hiding.

Spotting Malfoy standing where she had left him, obviously deep in thought, Hermione decided to walk down to the little stream. She sat down next to it, slipping her sneakers off in the process. There wasn't really enough water for her to stick her feet in, but her feet needed release from the shoes anyways. It had to be at least 90 degrees out, and she was already starting to feel it getting to her. She decided to take off her over shirt she was wearing; leaving only a tank top. Along with the shorts she was wearing, she felt a tiny bit cooler.

Leaning back, Hermione let herself lay on the grassy ground that was next to the stream. That was another thing she loved about this place: the grass was always lush green and so soft. This was by far the best place they could have chosen to be stuck at for an unknown time. Speaking of which, she should probably think about that. There were so many unanswered questions in her mind, so many doubts and fears. And dreads. She couldn't believe she would have to be stuck here with _him_. Draco Malfoy. She still didn't even understand him. Ever since that kiss he gave her back in the living room of her parents house, she'd had no idea what to think. That kiss ha ruined everything, yet it had been so amazing. Was he sincere? Was he faking it to get something? Was he playing a joke? Gosh, she wished Aly was here. Even if Blaise was with her.

Breaking her out of her deep thinking, Malfoy noisily sat down several feet away from her. He remained sitting up, though, she noted through squinted eyes. They remained silent a while, before Hermione decided to say something.

"Isn't it beautiful here?" she asked him, for lack of anything better to say. He glanced down at her, boring his gray eyes into hers. With a shrug, he turned away from her gaze.

"Yeah, sure. I just don't know how muggles could stand to do this for _fun_. I mean, this looks like torture!" he said dis-believingly. Hermione sat up, shaking her head. Looking around again at the tent and the little restroom, she sighed.

"Believe it or not, Malfoy, when you are with people you love anything can be fun. Even something like this, with no magic at all. Last time we were here, we brought Aly and Chris... That was probably one of the best times I have ever had here. 'Twas the summer before fifth year." she informed him, standing up and stretching out. She gave a big yawn and looked at the sky. It looked as though it would be getting dark soon. With a glance at the tent, Hermione grimaced at the thought of having to share it with Malfoy. This would be fun.  
><em>.<em>  
><em>.<em>  
><em>.<em>  
><em>Not.<em>

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><p><strong> (Review!)<strong>


	11. Chapter 11: Good Morning, Mudblood

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own HP or it's characters, but I do own this plot. If I did own Harry Potter, I would be making more books, not fanfictions._

**AN:**

Hello! (: So sorry for the late update, please dun hate me. D: On a positive note, I already started the next chapter! A little warning, though, I might not be around tomorrow or the next day. Off to camp again, and I've hardly packed anything yet. I think I only have a pair of pants in my bag. xD Anyways, enjoy reading! An thanks for all the reviews!

Review more, please! (:

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><p><strong>Chapter Eleven:<strong> Good Morning, Mudblood.

**Word Count:** 1,984

After they had both relaxed by the little stream for a while, Hermione went to the tent to grab some things. Digging through her luggage, she pulled out the pajamas she had brought, along with other night time necessities. Sitting in the tent for a minute, she heaved a great sigh. This would be terrible. Looking around the tent, she realized that when they were both laying down they would be shoulder to shoulder, unless laying on their sides. She decided then and there that she would learn to sleep on her side from now on. The one facing _away_ from Malfoy.

Finally getting up and leaving the tent, she passed Malfoy on his way in to the tent. As he was squatting down to get in, she halted him.

"Uh, I'm gonna take a shower... I'll be out soon so that you can use it." she told him awkwardly, wringing the clothes she had in her hands. He merely shrugged and nodded, continuing on into the tent. Hermione turned and walked around the tent to the shower house. This would be awkward. Okay, a lot more than just awkward, but she couldn't find the right word as of this moment. As she walked over, she could faintly make out the shadow of Malfoy rummaging through his bag inside of the tent. She wondered what else was in there besides from his clothes, and made a mental note to possibly look through it when he wasn't around.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

After Hermione had finished in the shower house, and let Malfoy have a go at it (she wondered how he would do, it being a muggle area after all), she collapsed inside of the tent. Squirming into one of the sleeping bags on the floor, she snuggled down in. Now she had some time to think before Malfoy came back. Thankfully, he hadn't commented on her pajamas or even give them a second glance. She had brought a green tank top (which she'd regretted afterwards, him being Slytherin and all), along with fuzzy black pajama pants. She felt exposed, even being covered fully up. Thinking that, she snuggled further into the sleeping bag.

How long would they be here? That was one of the main questions she had in her mind. Days? Weeks? Months? And how long would they be able to stay here before they had to move on? And would they be able to go to their seventh year at Hogwarts? She hoped so. She wanted to be able to graduate with all her friends, and graduate at the right time. She wanted to be an adult. And she would absolutely _love_ to get Malfoy off of her back. His mood swings were giving her a hard time deciding what to actually expect out of him, and what to believe was the real him. She wanted to know who he really was, what he wanted, why he let her come...she wanted to know all about him, but why? He'd probably ditch her the moment they got back to Hogwarts, going back to calling her a filthy little mudblood. That thought made Hermione feel as if someone had punched her, and she didn't know why. Maybe-

Her thought process was cut off by Malfoy himself unzipping the tent door. She quickly turned over to her side, keeping quite so that maybe he'd think she was asleep. She could hear him shuffling on top of the other sleeping bag; the material of it rubbing against itself to make that noise that sent chills through her body. She shivered, only to freeze up as she realized Malfoy had noticed. Then there was some more shuffling, and a blanket was settled on top of her. It must of been one of the things that Malfoy had packed in that bag of his.

Once he'd put the blanket on her fully, he then got into his sleeping bag and laid down. Then there was silence. Hermione was baffled. Why would he do that? He must of thought she was cold, but...why would he even care? He probably just didn't want her shivering all night and waking him up. That had to be it.

As she started to drift off to sleep, Hermione couldn't help but think...what if there was a different reason?

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When Draco finished with his shower, he'd changed into what he'd brought to sleep in. It was just a tight black tee shirt with black sweats. When he got back to the tent, it appeared as though Granger was already asleep. Careful not to disturb her, he shuffled around with his stuff and out it into the bag. Then he saw her shiver. He froze, not knowing what to do. Was she cold? Did she need a blanket? He'd brought multiple ones with him in his bag, so he decided to grab one for her. No use letting her freeze when he could solve it. That would get him in a bad spot, now wouldn't it? Grabbing out a wool blanket from the bag, he proceeded to throw it over her. Once he re-arranged it so that it was covering her, he then crawled into his sleeping bag. Stupid muggle contraption; why would someone want to sleep in something so trapping? Sighing in frustration, he turned onto his side, facing Grangers' back. It looked like a mound of covers just sitting there, but he knew that she was snuggled up under there somewhere.

_Granger_. Merlin, he was confused about her. Should he keep trying to get her to fall for him? Did he want to? Did it even matter anymore? He was totally undecided when it came to matters with her. He shouldn't have asked her to come in the first place, but the sound of her nervous voice on the phone had given him a sadness that he couldn't explain, making him ask her. Where had that come from? He hoped it didn't happen again; something like that could make him weak. And Draco Malfoy was, if nothing else, _not_ weak. He wouldn't let anyone get the better of him. Even if it meant spacing himself from Granger.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

Hermione had slept better than she had in a while. She woke up, warm and snuggling into...her sleeping bag...no. Not her sleeping bag. Her eyes snapped open, immediately flying to the arm that was resting on her hip. And then the fact that she was back-to-chest with none other than the arms owner, Draco Malfoy, registered. The night air had turned chilly, she realized, and they must have unconsciously went to each other in search of the body heat. Their sleeping bags were both pulling against them as they met in the middle of the tent, somehow almost laying on top of them. The blanket he had put on her last night was bunched up around their feet, obviously having been kicked down there in their sleep.

Figuring the best way to go about this was to get away from him before he woke up and act like it had never happened, Hermione reached her arm down to move his. When she lifted it, Malfoy moaned in his sleep, tightening his grip on her and pulling her farther into his chest. Well dang. This was bad. She pulled at his arm again, a lot harder than she'd meant to. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized she'd woken him up. He sighed deeply, not registering anything yet through a sleepy haze. After a short time, which felt like hours to Hermione, Malfoy finally must have opened his eyes, judging by the sudden jerk of movement. He harshly pulled his arm back, scooting his body away from hers in the process.

"What in the world? What were you doing, Granger?" he asked harshly, his voice still rough from sleep. Somewhere in the back of her head, Hermione noted that his voice sounded wonderful like that, but she would never dwell on it further. She quickly sat up, turning to face him with a glare. When she saw him, her heart nearly stopped. His hair was sticking up in all different directions, making it look like he'd ran his hand through it a billion times. His face, even though in a scowl, looked amazing with material marks all over it. Even though she hated him, she had to admit...Malfoy was one _hot_ guy. Then her attention snapped back to what he'd said, and she put renewed force into her glare.

"What do you mean, what was I doing? What were _you_ doing? I woke up and your arm was clinging to me, not even letting me get up!" she said defensively, moving so she was on her hands and knees. His pale face flushed a tad bit, showing his anger.

"Well _I_ can't help it that you dragged me out here into the middle of nowhere, where there is no one but _you_ to keep me company. As if I would willingly sleep like that with you! You, a _filthy little mudblood!_" he spat at her, fire raging in his eyes. Hermione felt like someone had punched her in the gut. She could tell her face was revealing her emotions, so she quickly turned it into a blank wall. How could he...how could he say something like that? She'd thought that he'd finished with calling her a mudblood. Oh, Merlin, her chest hurt so bad. It felt like it was constricting and about to explode. So, with eyes that were beginning to mist over, she went to the tent flap and unzipped it, throwing something over her shoulder to Malfoy.

"Well if I'm such horrid company, maybe you should just leave! Go find some casino or something to stay at, where I'm sure you'll find some girl better than _me_ for company. After all, I am just a filthy little mudblood, after all." and with that, she was gone from the tent, running towards the shower house. She felt like she was about to die. How and why did he say those things? And why in Merlins name did she freaking care?

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Draco stared in shock at the flap of the tent, not believing what had just happened. When he'd said those things to her, the pure look of _hurt_ on her face nearly made him take it all back and ask her to forgive him. That look had nearly made him slip up. Nearly made him seem...weak. Although he needed to appear strong, he still wouldn't believe he'd said that to her. Every time he thought of it, and of the look of hurt on her face, he felt his heart wrench all over again. To know that he'd put that look of pure hurt on her face was truly maddening.

Hanging his head, Draco sat up and tried to decide what to do. Her eyes had looked misty before she left, so he thought that she might be crying. Why, though? Hadn't he tormented her through all of their previous school years? Why was it different now? In his head, he knew what the answer was to that question, but he would never admit it to himself. No, never. That would truly be weak.

So, with a heavy heart, Draco decided to give her some time. If she didn't come back after a while, he'd go look for her. Maybe he'd apologize, make an excuse, or maybe he wouldn't and just ruin things more. Currently, he didn't know what he was doing. He just hoped that she didn't leave, and that she wouldn't force him to leave.

But no matter how much time passed, Draco had a feeling that the look of hurt on her face would haunt him for the rest of his living life, and possibly his dead one, too.

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><p><strong>(So sorry for that, it had to be done. D: Possibly something more light in the next chapter. *evil grin* The more reviews, the faster the next chapter!) <strong>


	12. Chapter 12: Forgiveness

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own HP or it's characters, but I do own this plot. If I did own Harry Potter, I would be making more books, not fanfictions._

**AN:  
><strong>  
>Four. I got four reviews. I guess thats good, but it was kinda low...did you all even like the last chapter? Please tell me in a review even if you <em>don't<em> like it. I want to know. (:

Anyways, I am so sorry, but this chapter is _really short_. Like, my shortest yet. D: Sorry for the late update, also. I had such a hard time writing this. ;~;

Sooo...review like always! And enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter Twelve:<strong> Forgiveness

**Word Count:** 1,271

It took Hermione a few hours to calm down enough to leave the shower house, where she had hidden herself. She had cried, and then she'd be mad, and then she would start crying all over again. She had so many mixed emotions flying around. She had finally cried all that she could, no longer able to produce tears. So after she'd let the anger course through her one last time, she decided to go out. If he wasn't there anymore, whatever. Good riddance. If he was still there, though, she would ignore him. Either that or she would go back to being just as they were when they were at Hogwarts.

Hermione hesitantly opened the shower house door, not sure whether she was hoping for him to be around or for him to be gone. She still couldn't decide which would be better for her. When she glanced at the tent, she didn't see the shadow of anyone in it. Did that mean he'd left? She walked forward slowly, almost as if she was being cautious of something or someone jumping out at her. She approached the tent and lifted the flap, seeing that he wasn't in there. She let it fall again with a sigh. Well, what had she expected? That he would stay after what she'd said-

"Granger." the familiar voice came from behind her. She spun around and froze, staring at him with still red rimmed and puffy eyes. They stared at each other for a while, until he took a step closer. She took a step back to match, but hit the tent. He stepped again, bringing him about three feet away from her. He lifted his arm, almost as if to reach for her, but then dropped it again. There was an awkward silence, and Hermione pondered squatting down and entering the tent. He was already dressed, wearing a tight green t-shirt and jeans, and she needed to do the same. Right as she was about to go through with it, he spoke in a soft voice.

"You were crying." he stated, almost making it sound like a question. Hermione tilted her chin up and raised an eyebrow, almost as if to say: 'I was, so what?'. He gave a sigh and ran a hand through his already tussled hair. Another awkward silence, and he spoke again.

"I...I'm sorry. I...really shouldn't have said that." he said with a scrunched up face, almost as if he'd been trying to fight with himself to keep from saying it. His face then relaxed, but he looked at her warily and waited for the reaction. She heaved a shuddering sigh, looking down at the ground so she didn't have to look in his stormy eyes. When he spoke again, it surprised her even more.

"You don't have to forgive me or anything, because I sure don't expect you to. I just wanted to let you know that I was sorry, and I hope we can get along so we aren't living in hell together." with that he turned on his heel and walked away, heading into the wooded area around them. He probably had no clue where he was going, but as long as he had his wand he was fine. Hermione needed some time to think, so she was extremely glad he'd left. What ever happened to being mad at him? She'd been thrown off with the apology, never expecting that. So now she was even more confused than before.

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Draco Malfoy had apologized to a mudblood. If his father could see him now or know what he'd just done, he'd probably disown him. With a sigh and a shake of the head, he picked up his pace until he made it to the tree he'd been sitting against earlier this morning. Now to think what had just happened through. Why did he apologize? Well, he supposed it was to help put the facade his mother wanted back in place, and so that they actually wouldn't be living in hell. It was bad enough having to stay with Granger, but staying with a ticked off Granger was even worse. He felt awful right now; all mushy and...not himself. He just hoped his little act was enough to get her to be okay with him, or else he'd have to start from the beginning with her again. That was something he did /not/ want. He wanted this to be as easy as possible.

Draco leaned back into the tree, putting his head back and closing his eyes. He thought about other things; how his mother was, if and when his father would be let out (not that he cared), and who Nott was with. Then, his thoughts got slower and slower, and he was engulfed in darkness.

When Draco next woke up, he rubbed his eyes and looked around. Judging by the light shining through the trees and the rumble in his stomach, it was the afternoon. He figured that he should probably go back now, but almost didn't want to. Maybe he'd stay for a while longer.

After that thought, he heard the crunch of underbrush crunching under someones feet. Looking towards the direction of the tent, he saw Granger walking towards him. She looked kind of shy, almost apprehensive. He raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to speak first.

"I-I-I just wanted to say t-that I forgive you. I said some pretty awful things, too, so I d-don't blame you. A-and I was wondering if things could go back to normal? Or, as normal as things ever were anyways..." Granger stuttered, switching her weight from one foot to the other, wringing her hands. She never looked directly at him, probably trying to not catch his eyes.

"Thanks and yes, they can." he said with a smirk. He'd won this battle. She may think other-wise, but she had no clue. She looked relieved for a minute, and then went back to awkwardness. He stood up to save her having to stand there awkwardly anymore, and started walking towards her. She seemed to realize he was walking towards camp, and turned to follow him. When they got there, he went straight his bag. He'd brought food, and he wasn't sure if Granger had. When he offered her some she shook her head and said she'd already ate, so he assumed she had.

They went through the remainder of the day not talking much, only saying things when necessary. By night time, they were both antsy. Would what happened last night happen again? Draco decided, when he was getting into his sleeping bag for the night, that he would stay as far away from her as possible. So he did, and when they woke up in the morning they were still separated. They continued this routine for days, only speaking to each other very little, and sleeping at the very edges of the tent. By now it was late August, and they were starting to feel comfortable. Then, one day that Draco figured was a Monday, he was inside the tent sleeping. Out of nowhere, he heard Granger shriek, and he ran out of the tent. She was standing near the fire they had created, holding a letter with shaking hands as the owl that had delivered it flew away. He ran over and looked at the parchment over her shoulder, and sucked in a quick breath at the simple sentence scrawled on it.

_We know where you are._

Then all hell broke lose.

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><p><strong>(Reviewssss~)<strong>


	13. Chapter 13: Fighting for Freedom

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own HP or it's characters, but I do own this plot. If I did own Harry Potter, I would be making more books, not fanfictions._

**AN:**

*peeks around corner* Hehe, hi? Don't kill me, 'kay? :'D I know it's been a crazy long time, but I AM SO BUSY. Sorry. ;o; I just have to say, this is reeeally short. -.-

**BUT I HAVE AN IMPORTANT QUESTION. PLEASE DO NOT SKIP THIS.**

I need your opinions. Should I start updating more, with shorter chapters, or longer apart with longer chapters? Short chapter updates will probably be around the following chapter long, and will come every other day or so. Longer ones will probably be about 1-2,000 words with an update of every other _week._ Well? What do y'all think?

Anyways, please read and review! (: Guys, I've gotten, like, probably over 50 people following this story, so I'd like at least 10 reviews. That would be amazing. ;o;

THANK YOU~

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><p><strong>Chapter Thirteen:<strong> Fighting for Freedom

**Word Count:** 1,011

**_Last chapter:_ **

_We know where you are.  
><em>_  
>Then all hell broke lose.<em>

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><p>Two men in dark black cloaks appeared directly in front of where Draco and Hermione were standing with the loud crack of apparation. Immediately, they started to throw vexes at them.<p>

"_Rictusempra!_" one of them shouted, aiming at Hermione. It was a pointless one to use, unless if you were planning to use it to distract your opponent. Granger doubled over, clutching her middle and letting out noises that sounded half giggle half gasp. Before one could hit him, Draco threw himself at the tent, where both of their wands were. He threw open the flap, which was thankfully unzipped, and grabbed both of their wands from where they lay. He went back out and towards Granger, shouting the counter spell so that he could give her her wand.

"_Finite Incantantum!_" When she straightened up from her prone position, he threw her her wand and turned to the two men. As he did, they both pointed their wands at him.

"_Avis!_"

"_Stupefy!_" both spells were sent at him with bright flashes of light. From the corner of his eye, Draco saw Granger throw a 'Immobulus' at the birds that had launched out of the first wizards wand, as he himself countered the 'Stupefy' with a 'Protego'. The second man quickly defended himself with a 'Finite Incantantum'.

"_Petrificus Totalus!_" Granger shouted at the first man, and he fell over, not expecting the full body-bind.

"_Locomotor Mortis!_" the second mans spell hit him right in the center of his chest, making his legs lock together. He fell back from the force of the spell and not being able to move his legs, not able to do anything else.

"_Expelliarmus!_" Granger shouted out, making the mans wand fly out of his hand and into hers. She then rose her wand again and put him in a body bind, before coming to his side and reversing the leg-locking curse. When he was free, they both sat on the ground for a while in a stunned silence, the only noise being their heavy breathing. After a few minutes, Draco got up. Both of the men were still both in full body bind, but their eyes were darting everywhere. They looked extremely nervous, and scared. He pulled the hoods off of both of them, and saw two men; neither of whom he knew. Nott must have hired people to do his dirty work. That was how he had always worked back in Hogwarts, getting others to do things for him while he sat back and watched.

Deciding not to do anything with the men besides leaving them in the body bind, Draco gestured to Granger to come over to the tent.

"We have to pack and leave right away. And this time, we are doing something I didn't think of before." he told her as he started shoving his stuff into his bag, throwing some of her things at her. She hurriedly started shoving them in her luggage, not even bothering to comment. Whether the silence was out of shock or something other, Draco couldn't tell.

After they'd finished shoving things into their bags, they quickly went out of the tent. They made sure that the men were both still in body binds, and then moved them into the tent. It wouldn't be good if a muggle happened across them. They went around the camp, putting out the fire and picking up any other things that were scattered around. Once they were sure that the camp looked like it had when they'd come here, they then went to the shower house to grab anything they'd left in it. When they were positive that they now had everything, without a word both of them started away from the tent.

After they'd walked a ways from the two men, Draco stopped and turned to Granger. They both stood for a while, trying to look anywhere but each other. It was awkward, for some odd reason. Almost as if the fight they'd just been in had made them awkward around each other again. And heck if he'd let that happen again; it had taken way too long to get her comfortable to go back to awkwardness again. Right when he was about to break the silence, she looked back at him and broke it herself.

"Where are we going?" she asked, looking around nervously.

"To Hogwarts to see Dumbledore." he answered, grabbing her arm and snapping them away with a crack of apparation.

_**(Half an hour previous, Hermione's POV)**_

Hermione was sitting by the camp fire, just thinking. Malfoy was inside of the tent, doing Merlin knows what. Things had been better between them recently, even though it was still a tad bit awkward. Things were good, though, considering what had happened.

_As if I would willingly sleep like that with you! You, a filthy little mudblood!_

His words rang in her head as she flinched, still hating it when she remembered them. She had thought about that conversation so many times since, wondering why he'd said that and then apologized. What was with him and mood swings?

Out of no where, Hermione's head snapped up as she heard an owl flying in. She stood up and furrowed her eyebrows, wondering how the owl had found them here. She took the note from him when he landed on her shoulder, only to have him take off immediately. With a shrug, she opened the paper. What she saw inside made her scream with terror, and a chill ran up her spine. Her hands shook and tears of horror filled her eyes.

_We know where you are._

As she stared in horror at the paper, Malfoy came rushing out of the tent. He came over to her, and then looked over her shoulder at the paper. He sucked in a quick breath, and she knew that he knew who it was from, too.

Then all hell broke lose.

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><p><strong>( Remember, I'd like 10 reviews! ;D )<strong>


	14. Chapter 14: I was Expecting You

**Chapter Fourteen:** I Was Expecting You

**Word Count:** 1,031

Hermione felt herself being pulled into the gut wrenching swirl of side-along apparation. They swirled around and around, and then were dropped down onto the ground with a thud. She lost her footing and started to stumble, but was held up by the strong arms of Malfoy. He pulled her up and started walking right away, not even bothering to stop and brush themselves off.

"Why did I never think of this before? If only I had, it would have saved us _so_ much trouble..." she heard him mumbling as he pulled her along, making her stumble occasionally. As they walked a bit, she could see Hoqwarts up ahead. It was a beautiful castle, so elegant yet rugged at the same time.

"Yes, why didn't_ I_ think of it? I can understand you not thinking of it, but _me_..." Hermione replied to his rambling, earning her a glare and a sharp tug on her arm.

"Ow! Dang, Malfoy, you can let me go now!" She said while wrenching her arm out of his grip.

"Sorry." he muttered, not sounding sorry at all. He reached back and grabbed her luggage from her, muttering about how stupid they were again, and slung it over his shoulder so that she would be able to keep up. After about 15 minutes of walking in a hurry, they reached the steps leading up to the entrance. Malfoy never stopped once, continuing up the steps to the door. It was barred shut, and Hermione could feel the wards around it. Obviously, he could too, because he raised his fist and banged on the door. After a minute, heels clicking against marble floor could be hear very faintly from the other side of the door. The door opened slowly, and from behind it appeared a apprehensive and then shocked Professor McGonagall, who was holding her wand at the ready.

"Mister Malfoy? Miss Granger? What in merlins name are the two of you doing here? And why are you _together_?" she said, opening the door all of the way. With a shrug, Malfoy pushed his way into the castle and dropped her luggage off of his shoulder.

"Can we see Dumbledore?" he asked McGonagall, ignoring her question. Hermione walked in after him, giving her Professor a smile. McGonagall shut and warded the doors again, and then gestured for them to follow her.

"Yes, yes, come along." she said in an agitated voice, leading them down a few corridors. When they arrived to the entrance to his office, McGonagall gave it the password.

"Lemon Drops." it opened and the three people stepped onto the stairs, allowing themselves to be raised up. When they reached the top, the Professor got off and walked to the set of doors. She pulled them open, and walked in.

"Professor Dumbledore, two of our students wish to see you." she said to the old man sitting behind a desk. Hermione and Malfoy walked in, the latter still carrying the formers luggage.

"Ah, Miss Granger and Mister Malfoy! I was expecting the two of you to drop by soon." he said with great mirth, standing up and walking around his desk. Hermione shot a confused look at Malfoy, only to find that he was looking just as baffled as she was.

"You were expecting us, sir?" she inquired politely, wondering how it was possible that he knew they were coming. But then again, it was Dumbledore. It was very, very possible that he had known.

"Oh, never mind that. Why don't you let us know why your here now? Oh, and please do take a seat." he said, gesturing to the seats in front of his desk while going around to sit in his chair behind it again. Malfoy and Hermione went forward to sit in the afore mentioned chairs, the former leaving both her luggage and his bag. After they'd sat down and made themselves comfortable, Malfoy launched into the story. He started at the very beginning, even telling him about them meeting at her youth group. He chose, thankfully, to leave out some small details, including the kisses and the sleeping issues. For that she was extremely grateful, because if he hadn't she would have been mortified. When he got to the end of the story, finally telling the two Professors who were listening intently about the attack that had happened earlier, he closed by saying,

"And, so, we decided to come here, finally. Because Granger was too butt headed to think of it before." this earned him a death glare from Hermione, and chuckles from the Professors.

"So, Nott, you say? Interesting, no wonder we received word from his family that he wouldn't be returning to Hogwarts this year, saying that it was for reasons of the personal nature." Dumbledore said speculatively, stroking his beard with his thumb and pointer finger. "Well, no worries, you shall be perfectly fine here. Hogwarts has wards that are nearly impossible to break through, not to mention that Nott didn't even finish his seventh year." McGonagall nodded in agreement, also stating that the wards were very well put up and had hundreds upon hundreds of years of renewing. Hermione smiled, she had been hoping they'd be allowed to stay here until next school semester started.

"With new semesters beginning in only two short weeks, we have started sending out our yearly letters. If you two would have been at home to receive yours, you would have realized a important fact. This fact should make your stay undoubtedly easier until all the other students come." Dumbledore stated, gaining their attention. Malfoy raised one of his blond eyebrows in question, and Hermione cocked her head.

"It has been decided by most of the Professors here at Hogwarts, that the two of you shall be Head Boy and Girl this semester!" Dumbledore informed them cheerfully.

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><p><strong>AN:**

Okay, so I decided to put the authors note down here this time. Don't ask me why, I just felt like it. xD Anyways, how was this chapter? (: Took me longer than expected, but hey, life gets hectic. I still have not decided what length chapters I'll do, but I'm leaning pretty strongly toward shorter chapters and faster updates. P: Um, so yeah, please review! From now on, I'm going to start replying to reviews.

(=

Oh, and, I almost forgot. THANK YOU GUYS, for giving me my ten reviews. I actually got I think twelve, and they all made me happy. 8D This time, however, I'd really like 15 or twenty reviews. ;D And I only need that many more to hit a hundred reviews! If y'all could make that happen, I'll try and post a super long chapter next time. Anyways, hope you enjoyed!


	15. Chapter 15: Common Rooms and Latin

**A/N:**  
>Okay, so I have to clear this up. I realize that a bunch of you are probably thinking: 'Ah, the cliche over-used head boygirl plot?', but that's not it at all. As you will see from this chapter, I'm adding a whole new spin to it. It won't be over used or cliche, and hopefully not boring or anything of the sort. Y'all need to have more faith in meh. ;D I _do_ have a plot for this story, not just winging it.

So I was in a writing mood. 8D Thats what resulted in this very fast update. Lets hope I keep on feeling in the mood, shall we? ;) Another note, if I don't reply to your review, it isn't anything personal! My fanfiction account is being all weird...D:

So, yeah, read and review, I'd really like to make 100 reviews. (:

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><p><strong>Chapter Fifteen:<strong> Common Rooms and Latin

**Word Count:** 1,003

Draco choked on his own saliva. Head Boy? With _Granger_? Could this get any worse? He had thought that when this semester had started, they would be parting ways and going back to how things usually were. But with this, they would have to be seeing quite a lot of each other.

He brought his hand up to cover his face and groaned. Being Head Boy would be fine and all, but he wasn't sure if he would make it with know-it-all Granger around.

"One thing, though, that may make this harder for Miss Granger. With certain...circumstances we have had to make your dorms leading off of the Slytherin common room. You will both be shown how to get there, but basically it will be a common room of your own that is connected to the Slytherin common room, and in your common room you will each have your own room and private bathroom. Is this okay for the both of you?" Dumbledore added, glancing between the two of them. Draco's head shot up out of his hand and he looked at Granger; she looked very close to horrified. Then she realized herself, and put on a careful mask.

"Fine with me." Draco said with a smirk, finding it amusing that Granger would have to go through the Slytherin common room multiple times everyday. That would go over well with his house.

"Ah, yes, fine, but are you sure it can't be any other way...?" Granger asked, looking hopeful. Dumbledore shook his head and the expression fell from her face.

"I'm sorry, Miss Granger, but it will just have to be this way." he said, looking very sorrowful. McGonagall cleared her throat, gaining their attention from where she was to the side of the room.

"Yes, well, as you know, the three of you will be granted all of the houses common room passwords, as well as where the common rooms are. I will take you now to show you them, and we'll stop off at the Slytherin common room last. Alright, then, off we go. Gryffindor first." she informed them, turning on her heel and beginning to walk away. Draco leaned down to pick up Grangers luggage again, but was stopped by Dumbledore.

"Oh, don't worry about those, Mister Malfoy. I shall have them delivered down to your common room. You go ahead with Minerva. And I truly am sorry, Miss Granger." he said, looking at the both of them and giving them a nod. They nodded back, and then turned and left the Headmasters office together to follow MacGonagall.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

They had ended up climbing up and down stairs all afternoon, going from one area to the next being shown common rooms. Gryffindors password, to Draco's great amusement, was '_Fortis Leo_' which was 'Brave Lion' in Latin. He'd snickered when McGonagall had told them what it was, earning an elbow in his side and a glare from Granger. It seemed that all of the passwords this year were in Latin; Ravenclaws was '_Callidus Corvus_ ' which translated roughly into 'Smart Raven'; Hufflepuffs was '_Exempli Gratia_', which meant 'For Example.' (he really had no clue why they had chosen that); and Slytherins was '_Artificiosus Vipera_', which turned out to be 'Skillful Snake'. He rather like Slytherins, but found them all laughable.

After they had made it into the Slytherin common room, McGonagall led them over to a tapestry on the wall. She then turned to them, and pointed at it.

"This is where the entrance to your common room is. When you say the password, it will open. Your password will be '_Cunabula Cunae_', which is also Latin and roughly translates into 'Cradle/Nest for Young Birds'. You may at any time change this password, as long as the both of you are in agreement. You both will also be able to create passwords for your separate rooms." she said, and then went to leave.

"We will be having regular meals in the dining hall, you know the times. Until then, if you need anything, don't be afraid to come find a Professor. Good day, Mister Malfoy, Miss Granger." With that, the two of them were left alone in the Slytherin common room.

"Ugh, I can't believe this..." Granger moaned, rubbing her temple. Draco smirked at her, obviously finding her discomfort amusing.

"Well, looks like you'll be a Slytherin this year, Granger!" he said to her just to tick her off, and it worked. She gave him a glare, again, and let out a huff.

"Whatever Malfoy. You know that isn't true. _Cunabula Cunae_!" she said to him, and then to the tapestry. A circular doorway formed in the wall, and the door swung open. Granger went in, followed by himself. Inside it looked like a mixture of the Gryffindor and Slytherin common rooms; brick walls and green and silver tapestries, but Gryffindor furniture. Off to the right was a set of stairs that lead off to Grangers room, going upwards. To the left was a set of stairs that let down that went to his room.

"Why, this is bloody brilliant!" Draco exclaimed, very pleased with it. Besides from the furniture and some Gryffindor coloring, of course. Granger nodded in agreement, going over to the stairwell for her room.

"See ya in a bit." she said, and then disappeared up the stairs. He shook his head in amusement. She looked like a little girl who had just got a present. He decided he should probably begin to unpack, that way he wouldn't have to do it later. They had about an hour until dinner, anyways.

Draco walked down the stairs to his room, and tried to think of a password. He wracked his brain, trying to think of something Granger probably wouldn't think of. Then, with a grin, he muttered his new password.

"Hermione."

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><p><strong>(Review!)<strong>


	16. Chapter 16: Dining Hall and the Ghosts

**Chapter Sixteen:** Dining Hall and the Ghosts

**Word Count:** 855

Hermione had finished unpacking her luggage, and was about to head down to the dining hall to get a quick bite to eat. Her room was amazing; it was all in Gryffindor colors, had a gigantic king sized bed, a walk in closet, a few dresser drawers, a desk, and then a lot of wide open space. The bed was directly across from the door against that far wall, yet it was a good 10 feet away. The dresser drawers were against the right wall, along with her desk. The left side held the doors to her private bathroom and closet. She loved it. With a happy sigh, she closed her door and smiled as she remembered her password. She'd made it 'Crookshanks' in honor of her cat. He had disappeared from her house a year or two again, and never came back. She figured either he had gotten himself killed, or he hadn't wanted to come back. She hoped it was the former, because him not wanting to come back would be a low blow.

Hermione went down the stairs to find Malfoy sitting on a couch in the common room that was in front of the fireplace. His arms were slung along the back, his head was thrown back and his eyes closed, and his legs were sprawled out. He looked like he'd just flopped down on the couch and hadn't moved since. Which he probably had.

"Tired, Malfoy?" she said, coming to stand by the side of the couch. He grunted, not even bothering to open his eyes or fully respond.

"Well, I'm going up to get supper. You coming?" she asked him, starting to walk towards the door leading back into the Slytherin common room. Which made her think of the fact that she would have to go through it _every day_ to get to her own common room. To put it lightly, this would suck. She couldn't even begin to imagine how embarrassing it would be; especially at first. This was going to be a fun year..._not_.

"Yeah, I'm coming." he mumbled, getting up from the couch with a yawn. Hermione realized that he'd changed his clothing, as he was now wearing all black as opposed to the light blue t-shirt and jeans he'd been wearing earlier. His pants were still jeans, but now they were the black kind. He also had on a black t-shirt, and the outfit made him look incredibly pale. He looked like he had a white glow coming off of him, but it made him eerily handsome in an odd way.

With a nod, breaking herself out of her unconscious ogling of Malfoy, she turned on her heel towards the door. She could hear his silent footsteps behind her, and without having to look she knew he was walking with his head tilted down and his hands in his pockets. It was always how he walked, and she'd gotten very used to it in their time together. She could even tell his footsteps from other peoples. They made a noise that was soft and graceful, yet gave air of a demanding presence.

They made it out of the Slytherin common room and turned to climb the dungeon stairs, making their way up to the main floor and to the dining hall. There were a few ghosts floating about, and only a few teachers in the dining hall when they arrived. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, and Flitwick all sat at the teachers table, chatting to each other. Except Snape, of course, who was scowling at something the other Professors were talking about. Instead of there being four different tables for each house, there was currently only one in the middle of the area. There were a few random students sitting at it, none that she knew, but supposed had stayed the summer for lack of anything better.

Hermione walked to the table and sat at the end, and Malfoy sat next to her. Food appeared on their plates, and they both began to eat without a word.

"So...what is going to happen when people start coming back for school?" Hermione asked Malfoy hesitantly. He looked at her and raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to say more.

"Well, I mean, are we going to be friendly or are we going back to being enemies again?" she elaborated, earning a shrug from him. He looked back down to his food, and put some in his mouth. He slowly chewed, swallowed, and then made to answer when he'd finished it.

"I suppose," he began, "that we can tell everyone that we are being 'friendly' because of our head positions. You know, trying to keep it friendly and not kill each other. They'll believe that." with another shrug, he turned back to his food. Hermione nodded slowly, agreeing that that would probably work.

"Yeah, I suppose that'll be good..." she muttered before turning back to her own food. She couldn't wait for Ron, Harry, and Ginny to get here. She had so much to tell them. This was going to be a long two weeks.

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><p><strong>AN:**

So, yeah, I decided I wanted to put my A/N down here again. 8D New chapter, yaaayyy~ I'm finally updating within an awesome time period! ;o; Lets hope it lasts, shall we?

Anyways, hope you liked the next chapter! 8D A bit shorter than usual, but...P: Oh, and, by the way, if you hadn't noticed yet, I'm trying to do epic titles. 8D They will be based on the story, but will be totally random. I find doing this extremely fun. ;)

So, I only need TWO MORE REVIEWS to reach one hundred! 8D So, let's see here, what can I do in celebration of the one hundredth review...hmm, how about this? Whoever has review number 100 (;o;), I will tell them in my reply that they are number one hundred, and then I will let them suggest something they /really/ want to see happen in an upcoming chapter. I will most likely add it, unless, ya know, it's something like 'OMG THEY FALL IN LOVE AND GET MARRIED AND LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER!'. So, ya never know, there might be a kiss or something soon. ;)

Aaaand, I hope you enjoyed reading, please review! (:


	17. Chapter 17: Holding Hands

**AN:**  
>Um, hi! *hides behind a tree* Sorry I haven't uploaded in so long. D: Gosh, I got a PM asking when I would update again and saying it's been a month or two since my last. Seriously? It's been that long? Time sure does fly. Also, I'm be leaving for camp on Thursday but I'll try to get another chapter done by then. But if not, probably the next Saturday or Sunday. (: Um, so yeah, hope you enjoy this chapter! I wrote it especially for you,<strong> Michell-11e<strong>! ;D Thanks for reminding me to update. (: please review!

Oh, and, also, I nearly have the next chapter finished already. ;)

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><p><strong>Chapter Seventeen:<strong> Holding Hands

**Word Count:** 1,694

Draco was bored. It was a Friday night, and there was still a week left before all of the other students arrived. Granger was off doing who knows what, which probably meant she was at the library, and he was just sitting in their common room staring off into nothing. He was very bored indeed.

With a sigh, he got up from where he was sitting, and walked out of their common room and into the Slytherin common room. He smirked again at the thought of how awkward going through the Slytherin common room all of the time would be for Granger. They would probably pick on her, tease her, and make her life miserable. Draco couldn't decide wether to be joyous or furious. He walked out of the Slytherin common room, through the dungeons, and up the many stairs that led to the level the library was on. He would go see what Granger was doing. Maybe then he could think of something better to do.

Pushing open the doors to the library with a slight bang, he walked in and began looking for Granger. After a few minutes he found her, sitting at a table that was secluded behind some bookshelves. She was reading a heavy potions text, no doubt trying to get a head start on her seventh year. He dropped himself down on the chair across from her, giving a big sigh. She glanced up at him and smirked.

"Bored, Malfoy?" she asked him, making him scowl.

"Yes, I am. Bored out of my bloody mind. There is nothing to do around this place when there are no other people besides teachers, and when there are no classes! Not that I'm missing the classes, mind you, but I wish there was /something/ to do!" he ranted his answer, while using his hands to accent his words. Granger raised an eyebrow at him, and then glanced down at her book. She put something in to mark her page, and then put it down on the table.

"I suppose if you are so bored I could do something with you. What did you have in mind?" she said, cocking her head.

"Uhhh..." Draco mumbled, not having anything off hand. "We could...go on a walk outside? Or something? Or we could go swimming in the lake. It shouldn't be too cold yet. Yes, that sounds good. We should do that." he decided for the both of them, jumping out of his chair.

"Malfoy, I didn't bring a swim suit. I never go swimming here. So I don't think the swimming part of that will work." Granger said, making his scowl at her.

"Kill-joy." he muttered under his breath. Running a hand through his hair, he thought of how he could get hold of a swim suit for her. Now that he thought of it, most people probably didn't bring their swimming things. And now that he thought of things to bring for school, he realized that neither of them had school robes or their books that they would need for this year.

"I know! We can go to Diagon Alley, since we both need school robes and our school books, anyways. You can buy a swim suit there." he told her with a decisive nod, turning on his heel to go get money from his room.

"Oh! I'd forgotten about that! But Malfoy, we can't go today! You have to give me a few days, because I need to owl my parents to send me some money since I don't have any." Granger said, getting up from her chair, too. Spinning around, he gave her an exasperated look.

"You don't need to do that, Granger. Just come on, I'll pay for your things. It's not like I don't have enough money. Don't even think of arguing, I'm bored out of my mind and there is no way you are talking me out of this. Now _come on_, Granger." with that he walked away, not even giving her the chance to argue. He walked down the stairs he had just come up, going back down to the dungeon to get his cloak, even though there was only a slight chill in the air. He could hear Granger coming after him, and after a few minutes she caught up. She walked by him in silence for a few minutes, trying hard to keep up with his bigger strides.

"Look, Malfoy-" she began, but was cut off.

"Don't even, Granger. I'm paying for your things and that is final. And no, you can not pay me back." he told her, not even totally sure himself why he wanted to pay for her things so much. With a mental shrug, he didn't think about it any more. It was what it was.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

After they'd both collected their cloaks, they'd gone to the Headmasters office and asked permission to use his floo. After permission had been granted, and the twinkling eyed twit had said goodbye, Draco and Granger had floo'd to Diagon Alley. Granger had gone first, and had just stepped to the side in time to miss Draco coming out and hitting her. He gave her a smirk, and then held out his hand to her. She looked at it, and then lifted a shocked expression to his face. He smirked, and looked pointedly at his hand, and then hers.

"If we are going to be seen together here, and I'll be buying your things, we might as well make it look good." he said with an evil grin and a wink. She scowled at him, but hesitantly put her small hand in his larger one. Immediately, he felt a current of electricity between their hands. By the intake of breath he heard from her, he guessed that she felt it too. Clearing his throat and dropping their hands to their sides, he began walking.

"Right. Where to first?"

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

A few hours later, it was getting dark. Every store had been told to ship what they bought to Hogwarts, which was a good thing, or else they would have been carrying _a lot_ of stuff. They were now heading to get something to eat before they went back.

"I really don't need anything to eat, Malfoy. You got me too much already. Thanks, by the way..." she muttered.

"Whatever, Granger. You didn't have any dinner, so you might as well get something." he argued while sitting down at a table that was secluded from other people. They'd gotten many odd stares, especially with the hand holding. He wanted peace and quit while they ate. Granger gave in, and they both ordered food. They talked about many different things, including school work, their summer, and Nott. After they'd finished eating, and Draco had told the waiter to put it on the Malfoy tab, they went to leave. They floo'd back to Hogwarts, and went down through the dungeons into their common room. All of their things were piled by the door, a jumbled mass of bags. Granger went over to one of the couches and flopped down on it, laying across it with her head on the arm rest. Her eyes fell closed, and her face relaxed. After a few seconds, she was asleep. Draco smirked at her, amazed at how she could just lay down and sleep. It was amazing, it was. He went over to the stairs leading down to his room, said his password, and entered. Grabbing two blankets from off of his bed, he went back up. He put one on Granger, and then went to the the chair and sat down. He threw the blanket over the back of the chair in case he got cold, and then pulled out his wand.

"_Accio book!_" he said, calling his book to him. "_Lumos._" Using the light from his wand to read by, he glanced over at Granger. She looked so relaxed and...peaceful when she slept.

"Goodnight, Hermione." he whispered to her.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

The next morning, Draco woke up with a pain in his neck. His eyes snapped open, and he realized he was sleeping upright on the couch. His book from last night lay open on his chest, and his wand had clattered to the floor. Closing his eyes, he gave a groan and reached up to rub his neck.

"Finally awake, are you?" Granger said from the bottom step of the stairway that leads up to her room. Draco scowled at her, yawned, and got up from the couch. He reached down to pick up his wand and shove it into his back pocket, and continued to rub his neck.

"You know," said Granger thoughtfully, "someone once told me it was a bad idea to put your wand into your back pocket. Said that if it ignited, you'd lose your buttocks!" she said, grinning at him while walking towards him. He gave her something between a scowl and a smirk, yet left his wand where it was.

"What moron told you that?" he muttered, knowing she wouldn't answer. And she didn't. She just continued to walk towards him. He cocked an eyebrow at her, wondering what she was doing. Then she stopped a step away from him.

"Thanks for getting me a blanket last night. And for buying all of that stuff for me. I really appreciate it." she said with a sweet smile. Then, she took a step forward, stood on her toes, and kissed him. It didn't last more than a second or two, but it was a kiss, none the less. Her lips were so soft, so plump. And then they were gone, and she was gone, already climbing up the stairs to go back in her room. After he had heard her door shut, he finally moved, bringing his hand up to run his fingers through his hair.

"Gosh, if she's gonna do that every time, I should buy her things more often..." he muttered, turning to go down to his room to get changed and get ready for the day.

Whatever had just happened, Draco thought, it was an improvement.

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><p><strong>(Review please!)<strong>


	18. Chapter 18: Call Me Draco

** AN: **

So...hey guys! Sorry ir's been so long, I've kinda been really busy... :'D Okay, so you know how I said I'd reply every review? Sorry that I didn't, I kind of lost track of which review I'd replied and which I hadn't and...well, let's just say my inbox is a jumbled mess. =/ So sorry about that guys, just know all your reviews are appreciated. 3 Okay, so, I had a question so I'm going to reply to it here...

**Michell-11e**-

I think this chapter pretty much sums up the answer to that question. (: Feel free to ask though if you want more explanation~

There. Now back to my boring rant. I will probably be updating again soon, as I already have most of the next chapter done. But no promises. My life might get in the way again. Oh, and, one of my reviewers had a great idea. :D So, my 200th reviewer will have a new character named after them. C: Thanks for the idea, **curiousbookworm**! It will probably be a minor character, but, ya know, still pretty cool. ;D And if you don't feel comfortable sharing your real name ('cause I know there are people that don't like having their name known on the internet) then you can just give me a name you really like. C: Sound good?

Well anyways, after my boring AN, I will let you proceed onto the chapter...Remember to review, questions/comments/critizism is good! (:

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><p><strong>Chapter Eighteen:<strong> Call Me Draco

**Word Count:** 1,693

With a sigh, Hermione thought about yesterday and this morning, and how wonderful they had been. She hadn't had so much fun in Diagon Alley since...well, probably since she'd been there with Harry and Ron last. Which had been a while ago. Spending the night with him had been amazing, but if someone had told her a year ago that she would enjoy spending time with Draco Malfoy, she would have laughed at them. And then laughed some more. But now the thought sounded...pleasant. And then last night. He had thought she'd been sleeping when he covered her up and whispered a goodnight, and said her name. But she hadn't been, oh how she hadn't been. She had been so surprised when he'd said it, but it had sounded amazing coming from him. Of course, he'd said her name before, but this was different somehow. There wasn't a specific reason, it just...was. Then this morning had happened. She had no idea what had possessed her that she would kiss him. It wasn't bad, no not at all. It was, again, something pleasant. It had just been a surprise for the both of them. Somehow it had felt necessary after last night.

Hermione was up in her room, getting changed out of the clothing she'd slept in last night. Today was a Saturday, and she had a feeling Malfoy would want her to go swimming with him now that she had a bathing suit. She put on a pair of blue jeans and a emerald green tee-shirt; not the best color choice when you are a Gryffindor, but she liked this shirt. She then walked out of her room and down the stairs, coming out at the same time that Malfoy came up from his room, wearing new clothing. She gave him a shy smile, and proceeded to walk towards the door that lead into the Slytherin common room.

"I'm gonna go grab some breakfast, are you coming?" she asked him over her shoulder as she opened the door.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a bit." came the answer from behind her. She gave a nod, and then went through the door and closed it after her. He probably needed to do something first, like use the restroom or shave or something. She walked through the Slytherin common room, groaning when she thought, again, of how awkward it would be when it was filled with Slytherins. This school year would be torture. After a while of climbing, Hermione made it to the Dining Hall. Not many people were there yet, just a few teachers that were early risers. Snape, Dumbledore, and Flitwik. They all glanced up as she entered, but then went back to eating and talking to one another. She took a seat at the only table there was as of now in the dining hall, and a plate of food appeared in front of her. She smiled, picked up a fork, and began to eat. When she was nearly done with her food, Malfoy finally walked through the doors. He walked towards her and sat down next to her, not saying a word but digging into his food. With a shrug, she continued to do the same. When she finished, he still hadn't said anything.

"So..." she began, and he looked over at her. "Are we gonna swim today?" she asked him, raising an eyebrow. He gave something that looked half smirk, half smile.

"Sure." he said, finishing up his food. He then stood up and offered her his hand. She took it and he helped her up, and then let her hand go as soon as she was up. He walked out of the dining hall with her following, heading down to the dungeons to get their swimming things.

"The water is probably going to be chilly." Hermione said conversationally, to break the silence. Malfoy looked at her over his shoulder and gave a shrug.

"Yeah, probably. It shouldn't be that bad, though. I've gone in worse." he replied, turning his head back forward. She stepped up her pace so that she was walking next to him, and then slowed back to a normal pace. They reached the Slytherin common room, and Hermione said the password. They went in and through it, and then to their own common room. Without a word, they each went to their own rooms to get changed. At Diagon Alley yesterday, Hermione had gotten a new bikini that she loved, but probably shouldn't have bought. It had been hideously expensive. She had said she liked it in passing, and when Malfoy saw it he said she had to get it. Even thought she argued about the price, he was insistent.

'I don't care about the price,' he had said. 'Just get what you want and like.' And this she loved. The top had no straps of strings, but it was drawn at the top. It fell to a few inches above her belly button, and it was a beautiful emerald green. That had probably been the reason that Malfoy had insisted she buy it; it was a perfect shade of Slytherin green. The bottoms of the suit had a little skirt, and it was black. The skirt was more for decoration than covering, though, as it only fell far enough to cover the actual bottoms under it. She loved it, and under Malfoys insistence, she had also gotten a new pair of flip flops that were the same color as the top. He had truly spoiled her yesterday, and she hadn't a clue as to why he would do such thing. After Hermione had finished changing into her bathing suit, putting her new flip flops on, and requesting a towel from one of the house elves that worked for the school, she headed back down. She couldn't wait to see what Malfoy thought of what he bought her, since he'd never actually seen it on her. When she made it down, he was already done.

He was standing facing away from her, waiting for her, the same as before except now his swimming trunks replaced his black dress pants. He also had a towel slung over his shoulder.

"Okay, I'm ready!" she announced, reaching the ground after her final step down. He turned around to face her, and she smiled when he froze and raked his gaze up and down her body. An awkward silence filled the room, until he cleared his throat and averted his eyes.

"You look, um, nice." he said, coughing. She walked towards him and smiled again.

"Why thank you. Shall we get going?" she asked, already walking towards the door. She heard him follow, all though he never responded.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

They reached the lake at around half past nine, so they had a while before lunch. Hermione layer her towel down a bit away from the tide, and then walked over so that her feet were in the water. She stood there for a few minutes, contemplating if she really wanted to put herself in that cold, cold water, when someone scooped her up from behind and threw her into the deeper water. She went under, and immediately the cold surrounded her. She fought to get to the surface, and when she did, she took in a giant gulp of air and screamed. She could hear Malfoy laughing somewhere off to the side.

"Malfoy, you jerk!" she yelled at him while peeling wet hair from her face and wiping her eyes. Once she could actually see again, she looked to the side to see Malfoy doubled over in knee-high water, laughing. She marched over to him, put her hands on her hips and waited for him to stop. When he did, she asked him a question.

"Are you quite done?"

"Yeah, I think so." came the response through gasps of air.

"Well, in that case..." she walked towards him, and gave him a big shove, knocking him over and making him fall under the water. Before he could come back up, she began running to the shore as fast as she could in the water. But it wasn't fast enough. When she was almost there, Malfoy grabbed her from behind and picked her up. His face looked somewhere between amusement and anger. He took her out to the deep, deep water (even Malfoy wasn't touching bottom anymore), and tossed her in. She gave a short screech before she went under, and then fought her way back to the surface. When she made it, Malfoy grabbed her again.

"Okay, okay, enough!" she yelled, pulling more hair out of her face and wiping her eyes again. For a few minutes, they treaded water right next to each other, watching the other person through narrowed eyes. Then, Malfoy grabbed her arm and pulled her even closer. Very slowly, still watching her to see what she was thinking, he dropped their faces closer and began to lower his lips to hers. Slowly, oh so slowly. Would they ever touch? Hermione didn't know why, but she wanted this to happen again. She really did. Then Malfoy finally closed his eyes and put his lips to hers. Fireworks exploded behind her now closed eyes, and she smiled into his lips. She then slid her arms up his chest and around his neck, locking her fingers loosely. Malfoy was still holding her arm, but then moved one hand to hold her left hip, and the other behind her neck. They kissed for what seemed like forever, and then Hermione realized she needed air. She broke off from him, but kept their faces extremely close and touching. They were both breathing heavily, but her mouth was still formed into a smile. When she opened her eyes, it was to find Malfoy staring back at her. He looked like he wasn't sure whether to expect her to blow up, or for her to have enjoyed it. She grinned at him, and he slowly grinned back.

"So," he said to break the silence, "I think it's time you start calling me Draco."

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><p><strong>(Review please!) <strong>


	19. Chapter 19: A New Year

** _  
>EDIT AN:<em>**

**_Hey guys. (: Just fixing this chapter 'cause I just realized the lack of paragraphs. Sorry 'bout that, it should look pretty much all better now! (: I'll be posting a new chapter soon. :D _**

**AN:**  
>Heeeeyyy! Long time no post, eh? Camp was really great, but it got me out of the swing of updating regularly again. Woops. Anyways, thanks for all the nice reviews! (: Loved seeing them after I got home from camp. So here is the next chapter! I am honestly gonna try to keep up a normal posting time. And Happy Thanksgiving if I don't post tomorrow! (:<p>

Oh and also, from the last chapter so everyone remembers: My 200th reviewer will have a new character named after them. C: Thanks for the idea, **curiousbookworm**! It will probably be a minor character, but, ya know, still pretty cool. ;D And if you don't feel comfortable sharing your real name ('cause I know there are people that don't like having their name known on the internet) then you can just give me a name you really like. C: Sound good?

I also wanna say, that if I ever get there, my 500th reviewer will get to give me a prompt for a one-shot. (: Either from this story or not, doesn't matter. Butyeah, something you guys can work up to. ;D I also added a small portion from last chapter so that y'all could remember what was happening. xD So now that this awfully long authors note is over, enjoy! And review! (:

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><p><strong>Chapter Nineteen: A New Year <strong>

**Word Count:** 1,988

_They reached the lake at around half past nine, so they had a while before lunch. Hermione layer her towel down a bit away from the tide, and then walked over so that her feet were in the water. She stood there for a few minutes, contemplating if she really wanted to put herself in that cold, cold water, when someone scooped her up from behind and threw her into the deeper water. She went under, and immediately the cold surrounded her. She fought to get to the surface, and when she did, she took in a giant gulp of air and screamed. She could hear Malfoy laughing somewhere off to the side.  
><em>  
><em>"Malfoy, you jerk!" she yelled at him while peeling wet hair from her face and wiping her eyes. Once she could actually see again, she looked to the side to see Malfoy doubled over in knee-high water, laughing. She marched over to him, put her hands on her hips and waited for him to stop. When he did, she asked him a question.<br>_  
><em>"Are you quite done?"<br>_  
><em>"Yeah, I think so." came the response through gasps of air.<em>

_"Well, in that case..." she walked towards him, and gave him a big shove, knocking him over and making him fall under the water. Before he could come back up, she began running to the shore as fast as she could in the water. But it wasn't fast enough. When she was almost there, Malfoy grabbed her from behind and picked her up. His face looked somewhere between amusement and anger. He took her out to the deep, deep water (even Malfoy wasn't touching bottom anymore), and tossed her in. She gave a short screech before she went under, and then fought her way back to the surface. When she made it, Malfoy grabbed her again.  
><em>  
><em>"Okay, okay, enough!" she yelled, pulling more hair out of her face and wiping her eyes again. For a few minutes, they treaded water right next to each other, watching the other person through narrowed eyes. Then, Malfoy grabbed her arm and pulled her even closer. Very slowly, still watching her to see what she was thinking, he dropped their faces closer and began to lower his lips to hers. Slowly, oh so slowly. Would they ever touch? Hermione didn't know why, but she wanted this to happen again. She really did. Then Malfoy finally closed his eyes and put his lips to hers. Fireworks exploded behind her now closed eyes, and she smiled into his lips. She then slid her arms up his chest and around his neck, locking her fingers loosely. Malfoy was still holding her arm, but then moved one hand to hold her left hip, and the other behind her neck. They kissed for what seemed like forever, and then Hermione realized she needed air. She broke off from him, but kept their faces extremely close and touching. They were both breathing heavily, but her mouth was still formed into a smile. When she opened her eyes, it was to find Malfoy staring back at her. He looked like he wasn't sure whether to expect her to blow up, or for her to have enjoyed it. She grinned at him, and he slowly grinned back.<br>_  
><em>"So," he said to break the silence, "I think it's time you start calling me Draco."<em>

Draco's heartbeat stuttered as he requested she use his name, but then she smiled.

"And I think you, Draco, should start using my name also." Draco grinned and nodded, then pulling her in for another kiss. After a few minutes of kissing, they broke apart again and swam back to the shore. They wrapped up in their towels and just sat there.

"So...what does this mean?" asked Gran-Hermione after a while. Leave it to her to be asking questions so fast. He gave a shrug and stared off into the distance.

"I guess it means...well, we are friends, that is for sure, but is there...can there be anything else? I think so." Draco said after a while. He glanced over at her, to see her chewing on her lip, deep in thought. This would be brilliant if she accepted. His mother would be happy, and...well, it didn't seem so bad anymore. Of course he never would have even stopped calling her mudblood if not for his mother. He seriously doubted this could actually turn into anything more, but one never knew.

"I...I think so, too." she said in a small voice, after a while. She glanced up at him from under her eyelashes, and gave a shy smile. He grinned back, and wrapped his arm around her to pull her to him. Might as well start getting on her good side now, because no doubt they would have arguments in the future.

"Well in that place, Hermione, I think I would like to call you my girlfriend. How about it? Maybe we shouldn't go very public with the information at first, but I think people could learn to accept it." he said.

"I think I would like that, Draco. I've never had a boyfriend before, so don't blame me if I do something wrong, though. Wow, boyfriend. Draco Malfoy is my boyfriend. That thought would have made me laugh in dis-belief a few months ago." she said, obviously amused. He grinned at her, then motioned that they should get up.

"We had better get going then, yeah? We can get dressed and then do something else after lunch." he said as they began walking back towards Hogwarts. They had been out there for longer than he had thought; it was already eleven thirty. They would go and eat and then they would spend the day doing something together. Namely, getting to know each other more.

* * *

><p>Finally, it was the night before everyone else came to school for the beginning of this term. It was her and her friends seventh year (besides Ginny and Luna, of course) and therefore, one of the most important. Hermione was looking forward to it, yet dreading it. The whole thing about having to go through the Slytherin common room would be humiliating, especially the first few days. It wouldn't be as bad as it would have been last year, of course, now that her and Draco were...dating...good grief, she still couldn't believe it. Just the thought made her grin. The only thing that she was not looking forward to about this relationship would be telling her friends. Which she would definitely have to do, because she sure as heck wasn't going to leave it for them to find out by themselves and then get seriously mad at her. Hermione let out a huff of air, aiming it upwards to blow the hair out of her face. Stupid, unruly and unmanageable curls. They bothered her a lot when she was reading, which is what she was now doing. Curled up on the couch in their common room in front of the fire, she was getting prepared for the beginning of the new term. It was Saturday night; everyone else would be coming in tomorrow, and then classes started the next day. She was reading through her advanced Potions textbook (for the second time) and trying to memorize the important details. Draco was somewhere else, probably down in his room, but she wasn't sure what he was doing.<p>

They had spent the rest of the week after that day down by the lake getting to know each other better by asking questions (for example, "What's your favorite color?" "What do you want to do after you graduate?") and then just doing things that they both found fun. She could tell that he still had a hard time with his blood prejudices, but she could definitely see he was gettin better. Much better, in fact, since last year he would have found hundreds of different ways to call her a mudblood by now. She laughed quietly thinking about the small kisses they had shared this past week. Yes, much better indeed.

* * *

><p>Draco was sitting on his bed, with a book in his lap, much like Hermione was out in the common room. Except he wasn't reading it, he was thinking. Tomorrow everyone would be coming back, and everything would go back to normal. Or, as normal as it could get, anyways. He was still wondering how he was going to explain to everyone, especially Pansy, that Hermione wasn't his enemy anymore. Gosh, this would be pretty bad. And not to mention, the other two parts of the Golden Trio would be arriving, meaning Hermione would be spending a lot of her time with them. Joy. He'd have to find ways of picking on them without including Hermione. This could prove to be quite the challenge.<p>

Shaking his head, Draco thought about other things. He could think about ways to annoy Scar-Head and the Weasel later. Now he had to think of what to tell his mother next time she owled him, which would undoubtedly be soon. She had wanted this, sure, but for the opposite reasons he did. Well, he'd just tell her that they were now together, except not publicly so she shouldn't say anything to any of her gossiping friends. That would be good. He could say that he didn't fully have her trust yet (which he assumed was probably not a lie) and that she didn't want people knowing, in case it didn't work out. That would work.

Picking up the book that he had been trying to read before, he told himself not to worry about it. It would work out.

* * *

><p>The next afternoon found Draco and Hermione at the train platform, along with most all of the teachers, waiting for the train to come in. Hermione had been talking to Professor McGonagall about the upcoming school term, when her Professor was called over by Professor Sprout farther down the platform.<p>

"Excuse me, Miss Granger, but I need to see what Professor Sprout needs." she told Hermione.

"No problem, Professor, I'll see you later." she said with a smile, giving a slight wave as her Professor walked away. Hermione turned and looked at the platform, in search of Draco. She spotted him after a few minutes, and he was making his way over to her. She smiled, and was about to start walking towards him when someone shouted a warning.

"Here comes the train!" Hermione whirled around, grinning as the train came up. Her friends were finally here.

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><p><strong>(review please!)<strong>


	20. Chapter 20: Nothing Has Changed

**AN:**

HEY~ So I actually got this chapter out in a some-what timely matter. O: Plus, I also did some artwork for the story. :D They are all so far posted on my bio, but I'll post them here too for anyone lazy like me. ;D (Make sure to remove all spaces)

Banner: http: / / i573 . photobucket . com /albums / ss171 / The_Kings / ASummertoRememberBannercopy . jpg

Crystal Clear: http: / / i573 . photobucket . com / albums / ss171 / The_Kings / ASummerToRememberimagecopy-1 . jpg

The Kiss: http: / / i573 . photobucket . com / albums / ss171 / The_Kings / DramioneStuffcopy . jpg

So yeah. These are posted on my bio, as I've already said, and any future things that I draw/someone else draws for the story will be added there. But I will most likely add them here, too.

Aaand, I've also been obsessed with The Phantom of the Opera lately. Listening to the songs non-stop. Is anyone else incredibly angry at how it ended? :V I sobbed. ;o;

AND NOW, on to the featured presentation...

(read and review! 8D)

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty:<strong> Nothing Has Changed

**Word Count:** 1,292

_The next afternoon found Draco and Hermione at the train platform, along with most all of the teachers, waiting for the train to come in. Hermione had been talking to Professor McGonagall about the upcoming school term, when her Professor was called over by Professor Sprout farther down the platform._

_"Excuse me, Miss Granger, but I need to see what Professor Sprout needs." she told Hermione._

_"No problem, Professor, I'll see you later." she said with a smile, giving a slight wave as her Professor walked away. Hermione turned and looked at the platform, in search of Draco. She spotted him after a few minutes, and he was making his way over to her. She smiled, and was about to start walking towards him when someone shouted a warning._

_"Here comes the train!" Hermione whirled around, grinning as the train came up. Her friends were finally here._

* * *

><p>Draco stopped walking towards Hermione at a reasonable distance, far enough away so that when people started coming it wouldn't look like they had been together. So this was it, then. The dreaded moment when, from now on, they'd have to be careful. He supposed it wouldn't be so bad with them sharing a dorm and all; but they wouldn't really be able to act too friendly in public. Scarhead, the Weasel and his little sister would probably be the most likely to notice immediate differences in their interaction with each other, but they could easily pass it off as being friendly for the sake of being Head Boy and Girl. The Slytherins, however, wouldn't be so easily convinced. He'd need to come up with some good excuses.<p>

Just then, the train stopped and people started to filter out of the compartments. He spotted a group of Slytherins and headed over to them. Blaise, Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle were there and greeted him with smiles and claps on the back. After talking to them for a little while, Blaise signaled that he wanted to talk to Draco alone.

"What happened, man? You told me about Nott and that you had to leave, but then ya never talked to me again after that. You and Granger okay?" Blaise asked, looking around to make sure they were alone.

"Yeah, we're fine. Came here to Hogwarts a few weeks ago and have been here ever since. Old Dumbledore figured we'd be okay here, since it's one of the safest places around." Draco replied.

"Ah, right. Good idea." Blaise nodded and then gestured that they should start walking towards the carriages, since Pansy Crabbe and Goyle had already gone over.

"So how are things with you and Granger, then?" he asked with a grin, nodding towards her where she stood with Potter, Weasley, Weaslette, Longbottom and Lovegood. Draco smirked, looking over at them.

"Pretty good, actually. Don't you dare say a word to anyone else, but I've gotten her to agree to try dating." he replied, sending his best friend a grin.

"How 'bout you and Aly, then? Anything happen there?"

"That's bloody brilliant, mate! I won't say anything, but first chance I get I'm teasing Granger. And yeah, actually; We've kept up a steady correspondence. We're sort of dating, but won't really make it official until after we finish school this year. We'll be owling each other, though. I have to say, though, if my mum ever found out about this I'd be dead." Blaise replied, grimacing at the end. His mother was nearly as blood prejudiced as Lucius was, and that meant she expected Blaise to marry a pureblood. The idea of him even just dating a muggle would probably give her a heart attack.

"I know what you mean. If Lucius was here, he'd have probably done something rash by now, like disowning me." Draco said sneering. Their conversation ended as they made it to the carriage that the other Slytherins were in, and they climbed in and waited to be taken to Hogwarts to begin their seventh year.

* * *

><p>Hermione ran towards Ron and Harry when she was them getting of the train together, along with Luna, Neville and Ginny.<p>

"Ron! Harry!" she exclaimed as she jumped on them and gave them hugs. They laughed at her excitement, and hugged her back. "Good to see you, too, Hermione." Harry said with a grin as she hugged the others. She hadn't talked to any of them since the letters about that article of her and Malfoy in the Prophet so long ago, when she had had to convince them of the forgery done the the picture. Thankfully, they had all accepted her explanation and hadn't thought anything else of it.

"How was your summer at the Burrow, boys?" she asked Harry and Ron as she stood between them, arms hooked in theirs. She started pulling them towards the carriages, leaving Ginny Luna and Neville behind them.

"It was brilliant, Hermione! We got to play a lot of Quidditch out in the back,and it was extremely relaxing for the most part." Ron answered enthusiastically. She grinned at him, glad to see him so happy.

"Well, I'm glad you had a good relaxing time. That means you're nice and ready to start studying for our NEWT's, right?" she asked them, looking back and forth between them. They both grimaced, and she laughed.

"Good to know you haven't changed, then, Hermione." Harry said, reaching over with his free hand to ruffle her hair. She laughed and swatted his hand away. They got into a carriage and settled down, waiting for the rest of their group to join them.

* * *

><p>The Great Hall was alive with noise when Hermione walked in with Harry and Ron. They walked over to the Gryffindor table together, sitting with Hermione in the middle, Ron on her left and Harry on her right. They talked about an assortment of things as they waited for the sorting to start. When it did start, they listened to all of the children being sorted, applauding when a child was sorted into Gryffindor. They also sat and listened while Professor Dumbledore gave the welcoming speech. Near the end, he got to his announcement of who the Head's would be. Hermione grinned as she looked at her friends, excited to see their reaction as she hadn't told them yet.<p>

"Head Boy this year is Mister Draco Malfoy, and Head Girl is Miss Hermione Granger!" he announced as he gestured that the two should stand. Clapping rung out through the great hall, most noticeable at the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables. Harry and Ron were ecstatic, grinning like a child who'd just been given candy.

"'Mione! This is amazing! Congratulations! We're so proud of you!" Ron exclaimed, giving her a side hug. Harry did the same, giving her his congratulations, also.

"Too bad about Malfoy being Head Boy, though, 'eh 'Mione? That could make this year a little worse for ya." Ron said, looking over to the Slytherin table at Draco. Hermione followed his gaze, and saw Draco smirking at his fellow Slytherins as they congratulated him. With a shrug, she turned back to the table where the food had just appeared as Dumbledore ended his speech.

"It shouldn't be too bad. We got to know each other a little better over the summer, and he started being a tad politer to me." she told them.

"Ah, right, almost had forgotten about that. Well, if he gives you any trouble, you let us know." Ron said with a wink, punching his right fist into the palm of his left hand. Harry nodded in agreement, grinning. She just laughed at them, and lightly punched Ron on the shoulder.

"Don't you two worry. I'll be fine."

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><p><strong>Reviews please and thanks ;D)<strong>


	21. Chapter 21: Spilling the Beans

**A/N **

HEY GUYS. 8D Just wanted to say, I now have a beta. (: She's helping me with my British English! (Or something like that...haha.) Anyways, big thanks to **Blaze Banks!**

So, thank you for all the lovely reviews. (: I'd really love it if y'all could keep it up. Some nice long ones with crit/advice/etc. would be nice too. ;) So tell me how you like this chapter!

Read and review! :D

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty One<strong>: Spilling the Beans

**Word Count**: 2,344

_"Ah, right, almost had forgotten about that. Well, if he gives you any trouble, you let us know." Ron said with a wink, punching his right fist into the palm of his left hand. Harry nodded in agreement, grinning. She just laughed at them, and lightly punched Ron on the shoulder. _

_"Don't you two worry. I'll be fine."_

Hermione was making her way back the Slytherin common room after her friends had called it a night, after she'd told them how early she expected them to be up for their first day. She walked as slowly as she could, hoping to run into Draco on the way there. It would be so much less awkward the first time if he was with her. She also wanted to ask him about her friends. She wanted to tell them about her and Draco, but wanted to get his opinion first.

She turned the last corner before the common room entrance, and stopped. Standing outside of the entrance, leaning against the wall was Draco. He hadn't seen her yet, so she took this small opportunity to just stare at him. He looked amazing; he was in a crisp white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a pair of black trousers. He must have taken off his students robes sometime previous, as they were no where in sight.

His arms were crossed, along with his legs at the ankles. He was staring at a certain point on his shoes with a look a deep concentration. Hermione momentarily wondered what he was thinking about, but didn't have a chance to dwell on it as his head snapped up to look at her just then. She blushed a deep red at having being caught staring and gave a little cough. He smirked at her and then pushed himself off the wall.

"See something you like, there, Hermione?" he asked her, grinning a very wolfish grin. She gave him a shy smile and a slight shrug.

"No, nothing interesting in the slightest." she told him. He scowled at her but then it slowly turned into a slight smile as she grinned at him.

"Thank you for waiting for me. I wouldn't have liked to go in by myself for the first time." Hermione told him, walking forward. He shrugged, turning towards the common room entrance.

"Don't mention it. Really. Don't." he said and then muttered the password. Before he went in he turned to her and said, "I already told them all about you having to enter through this common room, so it should be fine." Draco gestured for her to enter before him and she smiled at him as she went inside. It was all ready pretty late, nearly 11 o'clock, so only a few sixth and seventh years were up still. They looked up as she and Draco walked in, gave a nod to them, and went back to what they were doing. When they reached the entrance to their own common room, Hermione said the password and walked in with Draco soon behind her. When she was standing in front of the couch, she began taking off her robe as she turned around. Taking it off, she threw it over the side of the couch and then collapsed onto it. She layed sprawled on the couch, one arm laying across her chest and the other on hanging off the side.

Draco walked over and stood next to the couch, looking down at her. She opened her eyes and grinned at him. He smirked back.

"So I wanted to ask you something," Hermione began.

"Big surprise there." Draco muttered. She gave him a glare and he shut up.

"Do you mind if I tell Harry and Ron? And possibly Ginny, too?" she asked him, sitting up so that he could sit down. He grimaced while he sat, but she figured he would let her.

"Only if you think it's needed." he said after a few minutes.

"I do. I feel bad not telling them. We've been extremely close friends ever since first year, and I just...don't feel right keeping things secret from them. I'll tell them first thing in the morning, when I go over there to wake them up." she told him, smiling and then making to get off the couch. Draco grabbed her wrist to keep her there, and when she looked over at him to ask what he was doing, he kissed her.

She melted into the kiss, leaning into him as he leaned into her. As they kissed, Hermione lost any thought about the conversation they'd just had. Heck, she lost thought about everything. Somewhere in the confusing haze of his lips on hers, he'd reached over to grab her waist and pulled her on his lap so that she was straddling him. She wound her fingers through his hair, holding his head in place. His hands were still at her waist, drawing slow circles on her skin with his fingers.

After a while, Hermione pulled away to get air. She leaned her forehead against his, keeping her eyes closed and panting. When she finally opened her eyes after a while, it was to find Draco's already open and looking back at her. She pulled away a little to see him better, and saw that he was smirking. He looked so dang smug she couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. Some guys were so full of themselves. As she made to move, it was then she realized where she was sitting. She looked down and found she was straddling him. How had she gotten here...? Crap. She looked and him and blushed, quickly getting out of his lap and standing up. Draco had given up smirking and was now grinning as he watched her.

"Um, well, I'll just be off to bed now. See you tomorrow!" she said to him as she quickly retreated to her room. As she climbed the stairs leading to where she was headed, Hermione could hear Draco chuckling down in the common room. She let out a huff and shook her head.

"Men," she muttered to herself.

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><p>The next morning, Hermione woke up bright and early. She got out of bed and collected her morning things and headed to the bathroom to get ready for the day. As she brushed her teeth, she thought about how she would tell Harry, Ginny, and Ron about Draco. She assumed there would probably be an explosion, but it was hard to say who from.<p>

Hermione finished up her morning preparations, and headed out of the bathroom and put her things back into her room. After that she grabbed her school bag that she'd put all her needed books into last night, and headed out the door. She hadn't seen Draco at all, so she assumed that he must have been still sleeping.

There was no one in the Slytherin common room, which she was glad of. She really didn't want to deal with a bunch of Slytherins who weren't morning people. Out in the halls as she walked up towards the Gryffindor tower, she didn't see anyone except for an occasional Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Not many people got up as early as she did, but she was used to it and liked to have a head start on the day.

When Hermione made it to the Gryffindor tower, she told the portrait the password and went in. As she had expected, no one was awake yet. She sighed and shook her head, and made her way over to the stairs leading to the boys dorm. She made her way up and to the room Harry and Ron were in, walking in quietly. She made her way over to Rons bed first, shaking him.

"Ron! Ron, wake up!" she whispered to him, shaking him harder. He let out a groan and rolled over, putting his pillow on top of his head. She plucked it off of him and began hitting him with it.

"Wake up!"

"Fine, fine, I'm awake, I'm awake. You can stop now, 'Mione." Ron muttered, rolling back over and looking through barely cracked eyes at her. She gave him a big smile and then went to Harry's bed. Right as she was about to shake him, he held up his hand.

"Don't. I'm already awake." came the muffled voice.

"Alright, both of you hurry up and get ready and to the common room. You have 15 minutes! I'll go get Ginny. Theres something I want to tell you all." she told them, leaving their room and closing the door behind her. Now she just needed to go get Ginny.

Once Hermione had woken up Ginny, she went down to the common room to wait for them. After about 10 minutes, Ron and Harry come stumbling down the stairs from the boys dorm, rubbing sleep out of their eyes. They plopped down on the couch, closing their eyes and sprawling out. They waited for Ginny, who came down about five minutes later. Once they were all seated and Hermione had their attention, she cleared her throat and wondered how to begin.

"Okay, guys, I have, um, something to tell you." she said, cringing inside at the stupidness of that statement. They looked at her and waited, and she sighed.

"So, um, you know how Draco and I kinda spent most of the summer together? And how we, um, got here to Hogwarts earlier than everyone else? Well...I...ah heck with it. Draco and I are dating." she said in a rush, closing her eyes and waiting for the outburst that was sure to come. After a few long seconds of nothing, she opened one of her eyes to look at them. They were staring at her, looks of dis-belief on their faces. Then Ron broke out laughing, and the other three joined.

"Oh...that's a good one, 'Mione." Ron said between gasps of air.

"Yeah, we almost thought you were serious for a minute there!" Harry said, wiping away the tears of laughter from his face. Hermione glared at them, and they quilted down.

"...blimey, your serious aren't you?" Ron said in shock, staring at her. She nodded. There was silence as they all stared at her, and then Ginny spoke for the first time.

"I knew it! I just knew it! He kept staring at you during dinner last night, and you were looking at him!" she was grinning as she said this, excitement written across her face. Harry and Ron looked at her with horrified expressions. Hermione grinned at her. "I'm happy for you, Hermione." Ginny told her.

"What the heck, Ginny? This...This...This is..." Harry spluttered, waving his hands around.

"This is what, Harry? Whats so wrong about it? She's obviously happy, and I'm sure he is too." Ginny said in Hermiones defense, and she threw a grateful smile at the younger girl.

"Yeah, but..." Harry said weakly.

"But nothing. Hermione is a grown girl, she can make her own decisions." Ginny said with finality. Harry sighed and looked back to Hermione.

"Sorry 'Mione. I know you make good choices, but...I mean, Malfoy?" he said to her, looking almost pleading. She smiled at him.

"Thanks Harry. And yes, _Draco_. He's really not that bad once you get used to him." She stood up and pulled all three of them up into a hug. "I love you guys." she told them, smiling as they returned the sentiment. "Okay, lets get going now. People are starting to get up, which means breakfast will be ready soon." 

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><p>The rest of the day went as to be expected. Classes were easy for the first day back, easing them back into the routine. Hermione had only one class with Draco that day, but they hadn't had a chance to start as he had gotten there right as the class was about to start. She was looking forward to seeing him later, hoping that he would be in their common room before dinner.<p>

She made her way to the Slytherin common room, smiling as the first and second years that were sitting inside doing their homework. Inside her own common room, Draco was nowhere to be found. Hermione let out a sigh and went to put her things down. She took of her robes and threw them across the back of a chair, and then sat down on the couch to start on her homework. Maybe he'd come back soon.

After she had been doing homework for about an hour, Hermione decided it was time to head up and get some dinner. She was disappointed that she hadn't had a chance to talk to him, but she knew she would be able to later tonight. She put her robes back on and headed out of their common room. In the Slytherin common room, a bunch of people were sitting around. Some reading, some doing homework, and some talking. Most of them ignored her, but a few first years grinned and waved at her. She smiled back, and headed out into the dungeon.

When she make it to the dining hall, she went over to the Gryffindor table to sit with her friends. She was still very thankful that they weren't mad at her or anything like that. She couldn't bear the thought of losing one of her best friends. As she glanced around the room, her eyes fell on the Slytherin table. Or, more specifically, a platinum blond head that was sitting there. She stared at his head for a few seconds, and then his head turned. He must have felt her staring, because now she was staring directly into his grey eyes. He winked at her and then turned back to her food.

Looking up, she caught Ginnys eye. Ginny grinned at her, flicking her eyes to the Slytherin table and back. Hermione blushed, but allowed a small smile as she turned her focus to her plate.

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><p>(Please review! :D)<p> 


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